December 21, 2008

The Ideal Wife by Mary Balogh

Ideal WifeFearing the imminent arrival of his mother and managing sisters, Miles Ripley, earl of Svern, says that if a plain, dull, forgettable woman just showed up he would marry her on the spot to avoid being married to the prospect his mother has in mind, some girl named Frances.

The next day, a girl just like he described shows up at his doorstep, claiming to be his cousin and asking if he would give her a letter of reference so she can find a new job, instead Miles decides she'll make a good enough bride and marries her two days later.

Abigail is not at all like she presented herself that first day and quickly her true personality starts to come out, like the fact she's impulsive and talks a lot, Miles should hate that but instead he finds it endearing.

Well, Mrs. Balogh knows her craft better than most and it is a good book - even though it reads perilously close to A Temporary Wife in the beginning as the story develops so do the characters and the smilarities end for the most part.

Not much to say about the book, other than it was an enjoyable read.

Grade :
starstarstarstar

AnimeGirl

December 20, 2008

At The Bride Hunt Ball by Olivia Parker

Bride Hunt
At the Bride Hunt Ball it's the first novel by Olivia Parker and features two interesting characters, one is Gabriel - a duke who, rather than getting married and begetting the proverbial heir, wants his brother to marry and carry on the line - and our heroine, Carolyn who doesn't think very highly of the duke for hosting the title's Bride Hunt Ball at which is brother is expected to select his bride.


Carolyn couldn't care less about Lord Tristan, Gabriel's brother, but she tags along to the ball because she won one of the much coveted invitations and her best friend is half in love with Lord Tristan already and Carolyn wants to protect her. Gabriel is very attracted to Caroline right from the start though he has his reasons not to want a wife (a bit exaggerated I thought but acceptable).

In true historical romance fashion, they can't help to be drawn to each other.

Like I said before Olivia Parker is a first time author and she does a good job of it, the book is engaging, the characters endearing and the plot, if a little predictable, flows nicely.

Grade:
starstarstarstar

AnimeGirl

December 15, 2008

Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie

Welcome to Temptation
Sophie Dempsey did not want to go to Temptation, Ohio with her sister Amy to make a video of a has-been actress; but she follows her little sister and finds Temptation's Mayor Phineas Tucker whom all he wants is to run the town with as little fuss as possible and raise his daughter, but one look at Sophie and he finds himself going at all hours to the house were Sophie's staying, fixing various items around the house and imagining life with her. Sophie doesn't particularly like town boys like Phin, but she can't help to be drawn closer by his steady presence and by the amazing chemistry they have together.


Alright, so, generally I'm a fan of Jenny Crusie (and I had high hopes for this book since it's my friend Maddy's favorite); but this book is not my favorite, it's not a bad book it just didn't draw me in as quickly as most her other books have done. I liked Sophie and I liked Phin but, at the beginning, I felt kind of annoyed at the little interaction between them. I didn't like Sophie's sister, though I did like her brother - which is weird since they both are kind of screw ups. I disliked Clea - the washed off actress before mentioned - and most of the other town's people.

I really liked Rachel and Leo, though, I think their developing relationship helped to keep the book interesting. And, by the second part, when Sophie and Phin were 'really' together, I began to enjoy the book quite a lot. Also, kudos to Ms Crusie for writing a kid that wasn't snotty or capricious, Phin's daughter really wants her dad to be happy and she really wants a Mom.

Grade:
starstarstar1/2

AnimeGirl

Tongue in Chic by Christina Dodd

Tongue In Chic
Meadow's grandmother, the famous painter Isabel Benjamin, once told her of a priceless painting she hid at her ex-husband's home, Valdemar; she said it was Meadow's legacy and when Meadow's mother Sharon gets sick with cancer, Meadow thinks it's high time she went to retrieve her legacy so she breaks into Valdemar and is caught red handed by Devlin Fitzwilliam the ruthless hotel developer who bought Valdemar to turn it into an exclusive boutique-hotel which is opening in less than a month.


After an accidental hit on the head, Meadow quickly and desperately pretends she has amnesia and that she doesn't remember why she's there, recognizing her as Isabel's daughter (though unsure of her real name) he decides he's going to use her to upset Bradley Benjamin's, former owner of Valdemar and all around pain in Devlin's butt, and follows Meadow's proclamation of amnesia with the declaration that she's his lost wife.

It sounds promising, doesn't it? Sadly, it wasn't as good as I expected and I didn't have THAT high expectations about it after Trouble in High Heels, the characters felt flat and way too two dimensional, all of them; they were likable but, again, very cartoon-y. And the romance felt way rushed. Also, the background plot with Mr. Manly and his sons (Devlin being one of them) seems to be going WAY to slow and coming out of the blue in each individual story.

Grade:
starstarstar

AnimeGirl