Top Ten Tuesday: Book Covers That Feel Like Winter

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the topic is Book Covers That Feel Like Summer (Submitted by Ellie @ Curiosity Killed the Bookworm). Now we are right in the middle of winter so I thought I would choose wintery books instead.

However, I only recently did a Six Degrees of Separation with all winter titles so I am going to try to not use any of those books this time.

As I composed my list I did have a sudden realisation that most of my winter covers are very snowy, and yet that is not what winter looks like for us at all! There is snow a couple of hours away from us but it is very unusual for us to actually get snow at my house!

So, here are my winter, but not my winter, books.

The Christmas Party and Midnight in the Snow by Karen Swan - Karen Swan has been publishing one summer book and one winter book so I could possibly have just done a heap of her books but lets do some other authors as well.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - Russian fairy tales are intrinsically wintery to me!

The Tolstoy Estate by Steven Conte - Another Russian setting, this time during winter in WWII. Such a great book!

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent - Moving away from Russia, this book is set in Iceland. My memories of this book are that it is very wintery and bleak.

In Falling Snow by Mary-Rose MacColl - I loved this book when I read it a number of years ago.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - Another fairy tale retelling, this time Polish. This book is so wintery!

Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole - This cover is possibly closer to what our winter looks like...maybe.

The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys - Pretty sure the main river in Melbourne has never frozen so much that you could host ice fairs on it!

Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh - This is a bit of a genre departure for me these days but back in the day I used to read quite a bit of paranormal romance.

So there are my wintery books, without using a single one with the word winter in the title!

Mine to Possess Hot Men Contest

Nalini Singh always has such great contests to celebrate the releases of her books, and this one is no exception. To get all the details of how to enter go and check out this post on her blog. Entries close on 2 Feb, so you have a little time to work out who you want to write about!

To celebrate the upcoming (February 5th!) release of Mine to Possess the 4th full-length entry in the Psy/Changeling world, which features one hot hero in the luscious Clay Bennett, I'm running a contest where you get to rave/gush/cheer about your favorite romance novel hero(es).

What's up for grabs?

The winner, chosen at random, will receive a US$50 Amazon voucher and a very special Mine to Possess Teaser prize pack. All the things in the prize pack have some relevance to the book (ok, so maybe one is kinda just for fun) so speculate away!

1. Fancy Tea
2. Dark Chocolate
3. Strawberry scented soap
4. Candles
5. A Stud...ded collar

No picture because we'll put it together after the contest ends so everything will be sparkly fresh.

So...favourite heroes. hmmmmm...I am going to cop out a little and not actually write about ONE hero, but rather a type of hero - I love me some scarred-from-the-events-of -the-past alpha heroes, who people don't necessarily seem to like, but who really are completely honourable, just wanting to be loved, but don't think that he deserves it kind of men. Mmmmm...can't get enough of them or their darkly tormented ways.

Want some examples? How about Sin from Born in Sin by Kinley MacGregor - even his name was given to him as an insult, kind of like Cyprian Sloan from Diane Gaston's A Reputable Rake, Or perhaps even Zsadist from Lover Awakened or Sebastian St Vincent from Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas.

Whilst maybe not as tormented as a couple of those, other examples of my favourite kinds of heroes - Jamie Fraser from Outlander and Alexander Barrington from The Bronze Horsemen. Both are men who do what needs to be done...even if sometimes that is not the action that mere normal men would be courageous enough to take...but they do it! A bit like Jack Devlin from Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas who pushes Amanda just enough to get what he wants, oh, and all right, I also have to mention Derek from Dreaming of You as part of the dreamy Kleypas heroes collection!

Or how about those cold and aloof heroes that seem to finally only unbend when they find the love of the right woman - men like Wulfric from the Slightly series by Mary Balogh, or Marcus, Duke of Westcliff who appears in several Kleypas books but finally gets his own HEA in It Happened One Autumn.

Nalini really is a bit cheeky asking this question, it could take me hours to finish writing this post, and I do really need to do some other things like wash the top that I am wearing to a wedding tomorrow, and the dishes....oh wait, what am I saying...this is much more interesting!

In closing, I leave a picture of my favourite mini-series hero of the moment....for no good reason at all except that I can! Oh, and I guess he counts as a bit cool and aloof in the beginning!





Of course, for dark and tormented you could always go with this picture...although I am not sure he really counts as a hero!





**Guy banner made be Heathdancer from The Armitage Army**

Secrets in the Marriage Bed by Nalini Singh

They were reconciling. That was all Caleb Callaghan could focus on when his estranged wife, Vicki, shared the news of her pregnancy. He was determined that this time, the marriage would succeed, no matter what it took.

But was Vicki’s price too high? She wanted more than his love and support…she demanded honesty between them, starting with his secrets. But there was something in Caleb’s past he could not—would not—share. For the truth would only destroy them.

I am slowly working through Nalini Singh's backlist. So far, the Desire books have been a bit hit and miss, but I have to say that this one was a HIT! I love the idea that this story about a couple who are married, and now need to work through the issues that have caused them to separate and find their happy ever after.

Caleb and Vicki have been separated for two months, when she finds out that she is pregnant. As soon as she tells Caleb, he insists that he must move back into their home and is determined that he is going to do anything he can to put their marriage back together, but she is determined that things will NOT go back to the way they were. Revealing some of the secrets that they have held from each other is possibly a higher price than they expected, but as they work their way through the issues from their past, their underlying love for each other begins to work it's magic.

Vicki is sick of being a trophy wife, and wants to find something useful to do with herself. Caleb is a successful lawyer whose business has in the past kept him working long hours and leaving Vicki to herself. Part of the reason that Caleb has stayed away is that whilst he wants his wife badly, and loves her desperately, she is somewhat frigid towards him in the bedroom, and he feels as though she doesn't like him touching her. For Vicky, she needs to figure out why Caleb is so driven to be successful, but then lets his family walk all over him constantly.

I loved that this was a story that very much focused on two people trying hard to get their lives back on track, and that as they communicated honestly and openly with each other, their relationship became stronger and stronger.

I can't think of too many other romances where the hero and heroine are already married, and now are working their way through their issues. It must be a risk to write one because if the reader doesn't believe that they have dealt with everything there will be a risk that whilst the book ends in a HEA, the couple themselves might not make it forever, but this one was believable to me!

Rating 4.5/5

Which Psy-Changeling Hero is for you?

It's nearly time for Caressed by Ice, the third book in the Psy Changeling series by Nalini Singh, and to celebrate Nalini has made up this quiz, and even better, just by having a go you can win a $50 book voucher! Click here for the full details!

Which Psy-Changeling Hero Is For You?

Your Psy/Changeling Hero: Lucas Tough, dangerous and highly intelligent, the alpha of the DarkRiver leopard pack is a man who will demand everything from his mate. But he will give the same in return. And he will never let go.Find out more about Lucas and the series at www.nalinisingh.com Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Craving Beauty by Nalini Singh

Marc was dangerous to her in the way that only a strong, sexy male could be to a woman.

Even knowing that, she'd agreed to marry him. Hope blossomed in Hira's heart. Perhaps she'd married a man with whom it might just be worth building a life. Her mother had worried that he was scarred, but the lines on his face did nothing to lessen his raw masculine appeal. If anything, they gave him an even more dangerous male air, enticing the feminine core of her to thoughts that shocked her.

What did a man's face matter anyway? She had no use for handsome men.

But for a man with a heart?

For such a man…she might risk everything

This is the third Nalini Singh book I have read, with the first two being the very enjoyable Slave to Sensation and Awaken to Pleasure. On the basis of enjoying those two books I have also bought another couple of books which I will read eventually.

My reason for saying all of that is because, if it was that I had of read this book first I doubt I would have continued to read more of Singh's work!

This book didn't work for me on a number of levels. The first was the fact that the book started in a fictional desert kingdom. If the book had of been all set there, I probably could have lived with it, but then the author took the characters out of that setting and put them into Louisiana. It kind of made the desert kingdom unnecessary, although it certainly helped give Hira a few "fish out of water" kind of moments.

And then there was the angst...oh my goodness was there angst. Our heroine Hira is portrayed as being drop dead gorgeous, and clever but having been downtrodden by her outwardly modern, but internally very traditional family. She is also incredibly insecure, and believes that no one could possibly love her because she is basically too beautiful. And then there is the hero, Marc, who has the opposite problem. He has been outwardly scarred, and he believes that no one could possible love him because of that.

And so for most of the book, we have the two of them angsting left, right and centre (yes, I know that angsting isn't a real word, but you get my meaning!). Marc had fallen in love with Hira the first second he saw her, and set about obtaining her, by negotiating with her father. Hira was therefore mistrusting of him, until she began to see the man inside, and then she loved him, but he couldn't love the real her because she was too beautiful...oh wait, I said that already!

There were some touching moments - particularly in relation to the orphaned children that Marc was involved with, but even then there was a need to suspend disbelief in terms of the resolution...although I guess anything is possible if you are rich enough. I did also respect the fact that Marc gave Hira all the time she needed before the marriage was consummated! He was definitely more developed as a character in my opinion

Singh does know how to write some great dialogue and good scenes, there was just too much insecurity in this one for me! A little bit is fine, but any more than that is too much! It is, however, something that works for other readers! I note from Singh's website that this book was voted "Best Silhouette Desire" for 2005!

Apparently, a couple of the characters who had bit parts in this novel were from an earlier book called Desert Warriors. I will read it eventually, but I think I will be reading the others in Singh's backlist before I get to that one!

So while this wasn't a great read for me, it certainly wasn't completely terrible.

Rating 3/5

Awaken to Pleasure by Nalini Singh

The proposal was as unexpected as her feelings for the man whose dark good looks rivaled an even darker past. Painful experience screamed that Taylor Reid should run far and fast from Jackson Santorini. But keeping custody of her brother meant becoming her former boss's bride. And giving Jackson a baby.

Despite his powerful size and presence, Jackson had been wounded…deeply… by a woman. Yet he'd protected her at a personal cost, if his restrained ardor in deference to her virginal apprehension was one indication. Suddenly, for Jackson's sake, Taylor wanted to replace pain with pleasure. Only, she'd never imagined what sensations—and secrets—she would awaken…

Remember a month or so ago, I won a book on Nalini Singh's blog? It was actually to win a copy of Bound by Marriage, but because I had already ordered it on the strength of having loved Slave to Sensation, I suggested to Nalini that she surprise me with whichever book she wanted to send me, and this was the one I got. Funny thing is that Bound by Marriage still hasn't arrived......although I think it might be in the post now...finally!

Confession time.

I haven't read a category romance for at least a couple of years. I had read some a while ago when my mother left some behind one day, and I buy the Christmas pack for her every year, but I just don't read them myself. Or perhaps I should say I didn't read them myself, because I have actually read three in the last month or so. Two were really good, including this one, and the other wasn't bad either.

Taylor Reid was Jackson Santorini's temporary secretary a couple of years before this book opens, and he knows that she was the best secretary that he ever had. He also knows that he felt a strong attraction to her, but he was married at the time and therefore never took it any further. Taylor was also attracted to Jackson, but for reasons of her own she would never take it any further either.

When they meet up again after a couple of years, things are different. Jackson is no longer married, but Taylor is still reluctant to get involved. After all, she has enough on her plate at the moment. Her father is trying to remove her brother from her custody and it is a fight that promises to be very dirty and drawn out. Over the course of a couple of days, Jackson convinces Taylor that there is one way that he can help her current situation, by giving her the security of his name. After a series of negotiation it is agreed that this is the best course of action, but due mainly to Taylor's own insecurity, there are a number of out clauses built in - including that Taylor will do nothing to stop conceiving a child. But first they need to get through sleeping with each other - not an easy thing for Taylor at least due to something in her background.

As they learn to trust each other, and yes, Awaken to Pleasure, their attraction and love gets stronger, and they fight as a united team. The relationship and concerns that Taylor felt for her younger brother were very well written, and he didn't feel like a contrived plot element despite the fact that he was offstage for a lot of the novel.

Given the post over at Dear Author recently where Nalini talked about writing for a US dominant market, I found it quite interesting to try whilst writing this review tonight to see whether or not I felt the location was intrinsic to the novel or whether or not it was a setting that could be substituted to another location easily. Whilst the story is set in New Zealand, I did feel that it was quite generic, especially seeing as Jackson was a hot shot film producer.

For another entertaining review of this book, head over and read Rosario's review.

Overall, this was an entertaining read and I am looking forward to finally getting hold of Bound by Marriage when it finally gets here!

Rating 4/5

Doing the "I just won a book" happy dance!

I just found out that I have won a book from Nalini Singh. It is supposed to be Bound by Marriage, but I have already ordered that so I will get one of her other books. The only book I have previously read by her was Slave to Sensation and that was a really good read, so I am looking forward to giving another one of her books a go!!

Yay!!

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

This month's TBR challenge, was to read a book that was originally published in e-book format.

A fresh new talent in the realm of paranormal romance, Nalini Singh dives into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind - and none of the heart...

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of "rehabilitation" - the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was...

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion - and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities - or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.

Title: Slave to Sensation

Author: Nalini Singh

Year published: 2006

Why did you get this book? I've read such good reviews that I just had to add it to my list.

Do you like the cover? Yes, pretty much. Nothing that we haven't seen before though.

Did you enjoy the book? Yes


Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? This is a completely new author to me, and I will definitely be getting the next book in this series!

Are you keeping it or passing it on? I have a real hard time letting go of books at the best of times, but this time it is a definite keeper.

Anything else? This is one of the most unusual storylines I have read in a long time. Sascha Duncan is Psy, one of a race of people who have successfully managed to ensure that they feel no emotion. They are perfect in business, and in life, but Sascha knows that she is flawed. She feels a way that no Psy should, and it only gets worse after she meets the were-panther Lucas Hunter. Lucas has such strong emotions, bonds of strength with his pack, terrible memories from the past, hope that he is able to get it together with the Psy woman that he knows is much more than just Psy.

As Lucas and his pack try to stop a vicious Psy killer, Sascha learns about her people, and learns to allow herself to feel in every way. The only problem is, can she survive away from the Psynet that she has been linked to for her whole life.

I really liked both the characters of Lucas and Sascha. Lucas gradually realising that he is going to have to learn to trust someone else, and Sascha learning to trust her emotions...really, really good!! And it didn't hurt that Lucas was hot either!!

Rating 4/5

Slave to Sensation - A blogging experiment

I am participating in a blogging experiment hosted at dearauthor.com. To enter the contest, put up this blurb, image, and trackback and you are entered to win the following prize package.

$200 Amazon gift certificate
Signed copy of Slave to Sensation
New Zealand goodies chosen by Singh
ARC of Christine Feehan's October 31 release: Conspiracy Game

You can read about the experiment here and you can download the code that you need to participate here.

SLAVE TO SENSATION
Nalini Singh
Berkley / September 2006

Welcome to a future where emotion is a crime and powers of the mind clash brutally against those of the heart.

Sascha Duncan is one of the Psy, a psychic race that has cut off its emotions in an effort to prevent murderous insanity. Those who feel are punished by having their brains wiped clean, their personalities and memories destroyed.

Lucas Hunter is a Changeling, a shapeshifter who craves sensation, lives for touch. When their separate worlds collide in the serial murders of Changeling women, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities…or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.

Excerpt