Review: Scrumptious by Amanda Usen

Scrumptious
~Amanda Usen

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 
Publish Date: January 1, 2012 
ISBN-10: 1402259824 
ISBN-13: 978-1402259821

From Goodreads:
Sparks between love 'em and leave 'em pastry chef and poker sharp Marlene Bennet and traveling chef-for-hire Joe Rafferty when the two culinary perfectionists are forced to share a kitchen. But several suspicious accidents at the restaurant convince Marlene and Joe to work together to uncover the saboteur. Maybe a little intrigue and high-stakes poker will be the perfect ingredients for these commitment-phobic foodies to whip up a happily ever after.

Marly Bennett is a bakery chef working in Olivia's (her BFF) restaurant, Chameleon.  Marly has worked at Chameleon for years - she grew up with Olivia's family and worked while Olivia went to culinary school.  Things are not going well for Olivia - her rat of a husband has cheated on her for the last time and is trying to take the restaurant down with him.  Marly knows they can keep Chameleon afloat but knows it's going to take some hard work.

Joe Rafferty is an old friend of Olivia's, passing through town on the way to fulfill his mother's deathbed wish - to visit his father and then settle down and marry a nice girl. After hearing about Olivia's predicament, Joe agrees to help out as chef, much to Marly's chagrin.  Their mutual attraction is tempered by their ability to butt heads in and out of the kitchen.  Besides, Marly is definitely not the type of girl Joe is looking for, and Marly does not want to settle down.

My thoughts:
Scrumptious was pretty sweet (pun intended).  Even though I hate to cook, I love stories about cooks - go figure...anyhoo:

I had kind of a love/hate relationship with these two.  I liked them both, they seemed like good, heardworking people, likeable, but with flaws.  I also liked the back and forth between Marly and Olivia; their friendship was believable and realistic.  The secondary characters were interesting and furthered the story without being obvious.  I really enjoyed the scenes involving running the restaurant, I felt like I was getting a peek into the workings of a real restaurant kitchen.  The mystery of how the kitchen was being sabatoged was interesting, I knew who was behind it but not how it was being accomplished.

What didn't I like?  My problem with Marly was that she used one of the secondary characters to "scratch her itch" and to get back at Joe when she was mad at him.  That's a no-no for me; not a good sign of character.  Joe had a bit of a double-standard that got on my nerves:  while he has a history of being a "himbo", he referred to Marly several times as a slut for the same behavior.  I really had a problem with his quest to find a virgin/good girl and marry her.  That seemed so 18th century and ridiculous given his own sexual history.

My other complaint was the ending was a bit far-fetched and fast.  I would have preferred less of the excitement at the end and more of Marly/Joe.

All in all though, a cute, fun read.  I'll be keeping my eyes open for more from this author.

My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: His Mistress by Christmas by Victoria Alexander

His Mistress by Christmas
~Victoria Alexander

Hardcover: 352 pages 
Publisher: Kensington 
Publish Date: October 1, 2011 
ISBN-10: 0758255675 
ISBN-13: 978-0758255679 
ASIN: B005CRY7NW

From Goodreads:
For three years, Lady Veronica Smithson has been a happy, independent widow. Still, the right gentleman could provide the benefits of marriage without the tedious restrictions. And in Sir Sebastian Hadley-Attwater, renowned explorer and rogue, Veronica is sure she has found him.  

Sebastian will inherit his fortune in a matter of weeks—if his family deems him responsible enough. There’s no better way to prove his maturity than with a home and a wife. But though the lovely Veronica will share his bed, she refuses to marry.

An intimate sojourn at his new country house will surely change her mind. For Sebastian never takes no for an answer. And even in the midst of mischief-making relatives and unexpected complications, he intends to persuade his Christmas mistress that they belong together—in this and every season to come…

Veronica Smithson has decided that she wants to be a mistress, and never a wife. She had been married, happily too, but since she was widowed a few years back and got a taste of true independence she refuses to let a man control anything about her life again. She sets her eyes on Sebastian Hadley-Attwater, her friend’s cousin, at a lecture he was speaking at and decides that she wants to be his mistress. Sebastian is an author and a world traveler. It is rumored that he has been with many women during his travels. Will Veronica be able to convince Sebastian to let her be his mistress or will Sebastian have other plans instead?

My thoughts:
Ugh, this book. So Veronica decides she wants to be a mistress and doesn’t think ahead about what that would really mean in regards to her feelings. Such as what if she falls in love? What if it’s not forever, etc? She also announces how she wants to be a mistress to her friend, Sebastian’s cousin, at the beginning of the book, saying how she decided that Sebastian is who her conquest will be. She was just…annoying. I thought she would be more mature in her thinking, especially because she is not naïve; she has been married before.

I felt like Sebastian was blah too. Yeah, he definitely had his own plans for Veronica, and yes, he used have a reputation because of his traveling, but none of that is evident in the book because he changed his ways and just like that he wants to settle down. His character was a bore, sorry Sebastian. He just isn’t that memorable to me. The story definitely was not for me.

My Rating:

 Pam
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

2011 Wrap Up and Our Top Reads

2011 was a pretty good year all said.  I read some pretty darn good books and went to several book signings  and ALA.  In January Parajunkee and I met Karen Marie Moning *squee!*.  Even though she was sick, she was so wonderful to meet in real life.  Then Rachel and I also got together to meet Jeanine Frost and Pamela Palmer.  I drove into Houston in March to meet Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison, and again in May for my birthday to meet Charlaine Harris (thanks Murder by the Book, hubs, and my BFF Hannah).  In June, Pam joined me here to help out with reviewing.    I am so thankful she did!  Also in June, the American Library Association hosted their convention in NOLA, so I was fortunate to be able to go and meet several other bloggers and some terrific authors (I'm looking at you, Julie Kagawa, Sarah Dessen, and Carrie Vaughn).  Fast forward to October, and GayRomLit came to NOLA - met some bloggers I never thought I'd ever meet, drank way too much and had a fabulous time.

I had a lot of fun doing M/M month in February :) and later in the year I "discovered" fairies (Julie Kagawa and Melissa Marr) and Dystopia (Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, Marie Lu, Ann Aguirre); both of these genres I fought reading for quite some time until I gave in and then I devoured everything I could find!!

And now, here it is, the end of 2011, and I am shutting down Caught in a FAB Romance.  Fingers crossed I'll have my last few reviews done by New Year's, if not they'll post shortly after.  I'll do a goodbye post, so I'm not going to cry about it here.  This post is supposed to be about how much fun 2011 was.

Here are some of our favorite books we read this year (not necessarily released this year).  Not all of them were reviewed here; I've always tried to make it a point to do some reading purely for pleasure.

Patti's Top Picks:

PNR/UF:

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Magic Slays Ilona Andrews

Dark Swan series by Richelle Mead

The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern
(not really PNR/UF but I don't know what category to put this one in)

GLBT:

Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy

Something Like Summer by Jay Bell

YA:

The Iron King series by Julie Kagawa

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Enclave by Anne Aguirre

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Erotic:

Fifty Shades series by E L James

Wicked Games by Jill Myles

Contemporary:

The Kowalski family series by Shannon Stacey

A Novel Seduction by Gwyn Cready

Swept Off Her Feet by Hester Browne

I think Sean Kennedy's Tigers and Devils and
 E L James' 50 Shades series were my 
favorite reads of the year.

Pam's Top Picks: 

PNR/UF:

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

 (The absolute BEST read for me this year!)

Georgina Kincaid Series by Richelle Mead

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

The Mercedes Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs

Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

Downside Ghosts Series by Stacia Kane

YA:

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

Historical:

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran

Contemporary:

Riversong by Tess Hardwick

What were some of your favorites in 2011?

and Pam

Pam's Review: Unwrapped anthology

Unwrapped
~Erin McCarthy, Donna Kauffman,Kate Angell

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Brava
Publish Date: September 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0758251327
ISBN-13: 978-0758251329
ASIN: B005CRY8JK

From Goodreads:
From the streets of Chicago to the back roads of Kentucky to the wild dunes of a Scottish isle, mistletoe and mischief are this season's hottest gifts...

Blue Christmas
While a blizzard blankets the world outside, Blue Farrow burrows into the arms of her highway hunk at the No Tell Motel. The road might be closed for dangerous conditions, but the couple navigates their own Kentucky Christmas curves. Nice and oh-so-naughty, Blue and her man open up to each other as they keep the Yule log burning.

Santa in a Kilt
The wind-whipped December sands of the isle of Kinloch invigorate Kira McLeod as she sets out to tame rugged Shay Callaghan, a Scottish bachelor as wary of a wedding ring as a snowman is of the hot sun. It'll take all the wiles of the canny islanders to weave a perfect Celtic Christmas for all....

Snow Angel
Snowed under in Chicago, free spirit Allie is trapped in Dutton's department store on Christmas Eve when the lights go off and the holiday romance heats up. Our snow angel finds herself face to face with the dashing Aiden, the heir to the retail riches and her host for a night of winter wonder...

Hmmmm, a Christmas anthology. Three romantic stories, one book, with Christmas as the theme? Sounds good right? Well, it mostly was; let me break it down by story:

Blue Christmas by Erin McCarthy
This was my first time reading anything by Erin McCarthy, but it most certainly will not be my last. I read Blue Christmas, approximately 90 pages, in one sitting. The main character'’s name is Blue, and she meets her leading man with fate’s help of a car accident due to a massive snow storm. (Fortunately no one was hurt). The storm is so bad that both of them have to stay the night at a local hotel. See where this is going? This was a great story with fantastic writing, and if I were to rate it by itself it would be a five star story.

Santa in a Kilt by Donna Kauffman 
The only reason I read this story all the way through was because it was only a hundred pages. I'’ll be honest; this one took me a few days to read because I was so bored. The story is about Shay Callaghan and Kira McLeod. They both have emotional baggage; Kira was hurt from a divorce, and Shay is wary of relationships because he sees couples downfalls in his profession as a divorce attorney. Not only is the story boring, but random things happened that had nothing to do with the plot, and left me saying to myself, why did I have to read those extra pages? Anyways, if I were to rate this story by itself, it would be a one.

Snow Angel by Kate Angell 
This is a Christmassy story that starts out on the ski slopes. Allie loves skiing and meets a handsome man named Aiden; they end up having a one night fling. Allie wakes up and gets scared; her feelings are way too strong for him. So she leaves him before he wakes up. Neither of them could find each other if they wanted to; they didn’t know each other'’s last names. Three years later they bump into each other and have a little snowbound time together. I really liked this story. It felt warm and romantic. This alone would be a four.

So, two out of three great stories is why this book only got a three star rating from me. It would have received a much higher one if not for Santa in a Kilt (the story, wink wink).



My Rating:3 stars Pam
Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Agony Ecstasy anthology

Agony/Ecstasy 
~edited by Jane Litte 

Paperback: 448 pages 
Publisher: Berkley Trade 
Publish Date: December 6, 2011 
ISBN-10: 0425243451 
ISBN-13: 978-0425243459 
ASIN: B005ERIJ5C 

From Goodreads:
With historical, contemporary, and futuristic backdrops, this outrageously diverse collection of original stories explores every conceivable variation of BDSM erotica--from knitting circles to the Titanic to a retelling of The Little Mermaid. Featuring all-new stories by Meljean Brook, Jean Johnson, Bettie Sharpe, Jill Myles, Margaret Rowe, Sara Thorn, and more, this book has everything a reader could hope for in an erotic romance.

I'm just going to jump right in to my thoughts on this one:
I'm not usually a fan of anthologies, so I was a bit hesitant to read this, but I ended up really enjoying it. I like reading BDSM if it's not too over-the-top, and these stories were just the right speed for me.  It's kind of silly, but I thought it was very cool that the book had two sides - you read the Agony side, then flipped it over for the Ecstasy stories.

My favorite story (actually two) was Transfixed (on the Agony side) by Anne Calhoun, and her other story, Transformed (on the Ecstasy side).  Very good BDSM stories; she's a dom and he's a big burly guy who likes to be hurt.  I'll say again:  Very good.  I've added Ms. Calhoun to my "authors I must try" list.

Also on the Agony side:
Safeword by Delphine Dryden - short, sweet, friends to lovers.  Hero was kind of a nerd.  Very cute.

Bachelorette Party by Jessica Clare.  At first I wasn't too into this but by the end I enjoyed it.

Wetwire by Snny Moraine was an original concept and I enjoyed it.  Set in the near future, an interesting twist on gaming.

On the Ecstasy side:
Rescue Me by Meljean Brook had me confused at first but once I figured out what was going on I really enjoyed it.

Silverhouse by Sarabeth Scott was way too short - I wanted more!  I liked the couple and their master/sub relationship in a historical setting was unique but good.

I also liked Bruised Ego by Christine D'Abo; I'll be looking for more by this author.  Kind of made me think of Willing Victim by Cara McKenna for some reason - maybe the boxing in order to be hurt?  I'm not sure - very good though.

There were only a few stories I didn't care for, none of them DNFs though, which I guess is the benefit of them all being short.  I liked the mix of historical, contemporary, and paranormal/sci-fi.  I didn't care for either GLBT story (there were only two - one f/f, one m/m), which kind of surprised me.

I would definitely recommend Agony/Ecstasy for readers who aren't sure if they'd enjoy BDSM-type reading, as well as readers who are already fans of the genre.  I've discovered some new-to-me authors I'll be pursuing in the future.


My Rating:4 stars Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Say You'll Be Mine by Julia Amante

Say You'll Be Mine
~Jullia Amante

Paperback: 384 pages 
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing 
Publish Date: October 25, 2011 
ISBN-10: 0446581631 
ISBN-13: 978-0446581639 
ASIN: B004QZ9PGU
From Goodreads:
Isabel Gallegos, owner and CEO of Gallegos Wines is tired of always being responsible. Tending to everyone else's needs before her own has left her divorced, unhappy, and unfulfilled. The winery had been her parents dream, but never hers, though she devoted herself to making it a success. After much thought, Isabel decides to sell the winery, move to the beach, and finally take back her life.

But just as these changes are about to take place, Isabel's cousin and her husband are killed and she becomes the legal guardian to their three young children. Convinced this must be a mistake, Isabel returns to Argentina, intent on finding a more suitable home—and parent—for the kids. But as she spends time getting reacquainted with her family and her past, the decision to return to her own life grows complicated. Should she bring the children home with her, or find a way for them to stay in Argentina? Should she stay with them? Can she really give up her own dream, just as she's about to realize it?

Isabel Gallegos is tired of taking care of everyone but herself. From helping her parents with their winery for decades to dealing with her alcoholic husband (now ex-husband), she’s had enough. She is tired of being selfless and thinks it is about time she starts being selfish and acquire what she actually wants for a change, which happens to be to sell her family’s winery and retire to take some time just for herself. Things are headed in that direction; she has some interested buyers in her business. Then Isabel gets some shocking news; her cousin has died and left her the guardian of her three children. Isabel sees this as just another bump in the road that she will take care of before retirement, but sometimes life and love have other plans.

My thoughts:
This story started out okay. It took me a long time to really get into it, long as in about 200 pages. However, once I did the rest of the book sucked me in and I stayed up reading until 4:30am by accident! The characters and the story just snuck up on me, and I couldn’t stop reading until I got to the end.

Isabel isn’t my favorite protagonist, but I don’t really dislike her either. I can see where she is coming from, sometimes. For example, her cousin Brenda, who died and left her the kids, lived in Argentina where Isabel is from. Isabel currently lives in America, and has for some time now. I understand that she was ready to retire and finally do what she wanted to do, but some of the decisions she made with these kids were pretty bad. Granted, she is not a mother and all of this came at her out of the blue; she was bound to make mistakes. But some of these mistakes make her seem pretty cold hearted.

As I mentioned before, the last hundred or so pages flew by because I was so involved in the story. So while Say You’ll Be Mine started out as an okay book, it ended up being good which is why I gave it 3 stars.



My Rating:3 starsPam
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Feral by Sheri Whitefeather

Feral 
~Sheri Whitefeather 

Paperback: 240 pages 
Publisher: Berkley Trade 
Publish Date: December 6, 2011 
ISBN-10: 042524332X 
ISBN-13: 978-0425243329 
ASIN: B005ERITCU

From Goodreads:
Mexico, 1850. One fateful night Noah Diaz is ravished by a bold woman who transforms him into an immortal lion. Now he is a wealthy man who owns an underground sex club where supernatural beings can indulge in no-holds-barred sensual play. Though Noah has scores of willing victims, it is the thrill of the hunt he desires... 


Jenny Lincoln runs a big cat rescue operation that can't stay afloat-until a donor comes through with the condition that she goes to his club. Both Noah and the club at first frighten her but eventually thrill her. It's clear that she is Noah's prey, but once she gets a taste, it is Jenny who wants more...

Jenny Lincoln runs her grandfather's ranch as a big cat rescue, but funding has been slow and she's going to have to shut down...then she gets an anonymous donation with the promise of more money - enough to keep the rescue running.  The only catch is she has to go out with the donor - to his "animal shifter" themed sex club.

Noah Diaz was human, until a vicious attack by a shapeshifter changed his life forever.  A century later, he's running a sex club for shifters and shifter groupies.  He happens to stumble across Jenny's rescue, and his cat side wants to chase her.  Obscenely rich, he offers her the promise of enough money to save her ranch.  Will the straight-laced, innocent Jenny take the bait?

My thoughts:
I'm going to be blunt:  I could not get into this book.  It started off well - Noah wants to date Jenny, he's wanting the thrill of the chase.  She's innocent and not very experienced and Noah thinks she's going to fight her attraction the whole way.  So far, so good, right?  I love when the H/H fight their attraction.

Then things quickly turn around:  She goes to his sex club and sees what it's all about, and the next day she's telling him her sexual fantasies and having phone sex!  Now "the chase" is gone.  They embark on a sexual relationship, there's a "Beauty and the Beast" reenactment, some magic stones, and Noah is now denying his love for Jenny while she's insisting he does love her.

All in all, the characters read as very inconsistent, the plot was weak, and at one point there was a scene involving yogurt and a sex toy that caused me to get up and walk away.  I'm not sure why her cousin Matt was written into the story, he seemed to serve no purpose, and Coyote, Noah's accountant, seemed to have an interesting background but was only used to push the story in the direction the author was going.

My Rating:1 star 
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Friday Christmas Kisses

I know a lot of people will be decorating and putting up their trees and lights this weekend.  Thought you might enjoy a little holiday cheer to warm your heart (or other parts) on a cold winter day:

 I googled these images.  If they belong to you I'll be happy to credit or remove.