Princess by Gaelen Foley

Dear Reader,

I'm so proud to introduce Gaelen Foley, a captivating new writer who will sweep you away with this unforgettable story of forbidden love and wondrous destiny.

Darius Santiago is the King's most trusted man, a master spy and assassin. He is handsome, charming, ruthless, and he has one weakness—the stunning Princess Serafina. She is all he has ever wanted and everything he cannot have. Serafina has worshipped Darius from afar her whole life, knowing that deep in the reaches of her soul, where she is not royalty but a flesh and blood woman, she belongs to this dangerous, untouchable man. Unable to suppress their desire any longer, they are swept into a daring dance of passion destined to consume them both until a deadly enemy threatens to destroy their new love.

PRINCESS is historical romance at its best—full of adventure, intrigue, and pageantry—from an amazingly talented new author whose storytelling career is just beginning. . . .

Enjoy!

Shauna Summers
Senior Editor
The Ballantine Publishing Group

This is the follow up book to The Pirate Prince which was the first Gaelen Foley book I read. In an endeavour to actually get up to date this is going to be a very short review!

Because I was in a bit of a slump when I started reading this, it took me ages to get into it. Darius was dark and brooding and handsome - just the way I like them, but I did find Serafina a bit difficult to get to like because she was a typical spoiled princess. I do love the scope of the two books I have read, despite the fact that a couple of the plot twists were pretty far fetched! The other thing that I felt was a bit far fetched was the ending which seemed to be a completely different Darius than the one we had gotten to know previously, although I do understand that it was designed to show how far he had come! There was quite a bit of action throughout this book, but it was well balanced with sections where Darius and Serafina were alone that were really nice too.

Lazar from Pirate Prince played a fair part in it, although in many ways he seemed quite strict and rigid compared to how he was portrayed in his book, but Allegra was reduced to cameo appearances - seems unlikely from the feisty girl we met in the first book.

The next book in the series features Serafina's brother Rafe. I am not quite sure what to make of Rafe yet - guess we shall see in the next book!

Rating 4/5

Zipporah by Marek Halter

Set over three thousand years ago, a passionate love story divides an ancient world.

Her name is Zipporah.

A black child, she was found on the shores of the Red Sea, and given a name that meant 'bird'.

But, because of the colour of her skin, no man wanted her as his wife. Then, as she was drawing water at a well, she met a stranger. An outcast like herself, he was a fugitive.

His name was Moses.

A beautiful woman and a generous lover, Zipporah was to share Moses' destiny. Together they set out on an epic journey across the desert to Egypt, where they would confront the Pharaoh and beg him to set their people free.

But Zipporah's love for Moses condemned her too: for among the Hebrews of the Exodus her status as a black woman was to have catastrophic consequences.

This is the second book in the Canaan trilogy by Marek Halter, following on from Sarah, and once again the author is focusing on an important figure in the Old Testament, Moses, and his wife Zipporah.

As far as the characters go, Halter made some quite interesting choices in relation to Zipporah - there is very little known of her in the Old Testament, other than how she met Moses at a well, and that she is the daughter of Jethro. In this book, Halter chooses to make her a Cushite, so that she is much darker skinned than the people around her, and makes her the adopted daughter of Jethro - the daughter of his heart - therefore causing jealousy within her adopted household. This also has the effect of making her a stranger among the people, a theme that is mentioned more than once, particularly with Moses' experiences initially when he comes to live with the Midianites, and then later again when he returns to Egypt. It also introduces the spectre of racial issues and of familial disharmony that is echoed later as Zipporah meets Moses' true family.

The initial meetings and courtships of Moses and Zipporah were well written, and the chemistry between the two was quite strong but this was not strong enough to carry the whole book.

There were several things in this novel that did not quite sit right with me - for example Moses' and Zipporah's relationships seemed kind of unusual because they were not married until quite some time after they had had children, and also in the events at the conclusion of the novel. It also seemed that the author was trying too hard to keep on trying to mirror Zipporah's experiences in Moses' life and vice versa.

I wondered at times when reading this story if at times the novelist couldn't quite decide if he was really telling Moses' story or if he was more interested in Zipporah's story - not that those two aspects were incompatible - but just that the two threads didn't seem to be connected all that well, particularly in the second half of the book when the story seemed to lose a bit of steam in some ways, with some parts of the story being quite simplistic at times.

I guess the bonus in taking the characters like the women of the Old Testament is that so little is known about them, so there is a fair amount of freedom to write stories within the restrictions of the little that we do know of them, and the well known stories of their men folk.

Once again, reading this story did make me want to pull out the trusty Bible, which last saw light of day when I read Sarah, and have a quick read to see what was known and what was completely fiction.

For me, whilst this book was interesting, it wasn't great, and I think that there were some issues with pacing, and tying the major strands of story together. There is one more book in the Canaan trilogy, called Lilah, and I am sufficiently interested to want to read it. Hopefully there won't be the same kind of issues in the next book.

Rating 3.5/5

Edited to correct an error...thanks Zeek!

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!!

The Twylight Tower by Karen Harper

It is May 1560. As sinister storm clouds gather overhead, twenty-six-year-old Queen Elizabeth dispatches William Cecil, her most trusted adviser, to Scotland for crucial negotiations. Handsome, ambitious Lord Robert Dudley is at her side. But their leisurely midsummer idyll is cut short when the court’s master lutenist plunges to his death from a parapet beneath the queen’s window. The loyal retainers of Elizabeth’s privy council do not accept the official verdict of accidental death. Their fears are borne out when another tragedy rocks the realm, and points the way to a conspiracy to bring down Elizabeth and seize the throne. As ill winds of treachery swirl around the court, and suspicion falls on those within Elizabeth’s intimate circle, a vengeful enemy slips from the shadows...a traitorous usurper who would be sovereign.

With The Twylight Tower, Karen Harper brings a legendary era to life, drawing us into an intoxicating world of majesty and mayhem, political intrigue and adventure...where danger is everywhere...and where a young queen journeys to greatness in the long shadow of her bloodstained past.

This is the third book in the Elizabeth I series, following on from The Poyson Garden and The Tidal Poole. The story opens with the death of the Queen's lute player when he tumbles from the tower. At the beginning, Queen Elizabeth doesn't think that it is murder, even though many of her close companions think otherwise. Elizabeth herself is too busy in her relationship with Robert Dudley, to pay attention to a possible murder, let alone the affairs of state. However, when there is another death, and this time it is in circumstances that could have seen her injured herself, she is ready to pay a bit more attention.

What this book did have was a really interesting mix of actual characters and events, and fictional characters, and the story itself was quite interesting. What the above blurb does not show is that this book is also another theory on the age old question - who killed Amy Robsart, wife of Robin Dudley.

So why isn't this book graded higher...well, it really seemed to drag a little, and the resolution, including of the 'who killed Amy Robsart' seemed a little too unusual for me, but the relationships between the queen and her circle of friends were very well developed, with threads of storyline continuing from earlier books.

Now I have to decide whether I want to continue reading this series, because my library doesn't have any of the next five books in the series, although I suspect I could probably get an inter library loan if I really wanted to read the next one at least.

Rating 3/5

Magic Study by Maria V Snyder

You know your life is bad when you miss your days as a poison taster . . .

With her greatest enemy dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though she has gained her freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background has changed her in many ways -- and her newfound friends and relatives don't think it's for the better . . .

Despite the turmoil, she's eager to start her magic training -- especially as she's been given one year to harness her power or be put to death. But her plans take a radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's throne for a lost prince -- and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with her fellow magicians.

If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old friends to help her with all her new enemies . . .

I have been eagerly anticipating getting hold of this book. The first book in this series, Poison Study, was one of the few 5/5 books I read last year.

After her adventures in Ixia, Yelena is now is Sitia, getting to know a family that she has no recollections of, and trying to adapt to a completely foreign way of life to her. There are strange clothes, strange food, strange feelings of anxiousness, animosity from her brother, as well as a new life at the Citade (a kind of magician's school) that she now has to attend in order to meet her promise to Irys, who she met in the previous book.

There were many, many things to like about this book - the setting, the different areas of Ixia that had such variable conditions and people, the suspense.

There was just one thing that drove me a little insane, and that was in relation to Valek. Once Yelena and Valek were reunited he always called her love...drove me nuts, and didn't really fit my idea of his character that I had built in the first book. As an occasional endearment it's fine, but ALL of the time was a little bit too much!

Overall, a satisfying follow up to Poison Study, and I can't wait for Fire Study to come out!

Rating 4.5/5

Rules of Seduction by Madeline Hunter

Dangerous. Sensual. Handsome as sin. Meet Hayden Rothwell, the shamelessly erotic hero of The Rules of Seduction and author Madeline Hunter’s most irresistible alpha male yet: a man of extraordinary passion and power, a man who can bring out the seductress in any woman...

He enters her home without warning or invitation -- a stranger of shadowy motives and commanding sensuality. Within hours, Alexia Welbourne is penniless, without any hope of marriage. Until Hayden Rothwell takes her to bed. When one impulsive act of passion forces Alexia to marry the very man who has ruined her, Hayden’s seduction of Alexia is nearly complete. What Alexia doesn’t know is that her irresistible new husband is driven by a secret purpose -- and a debt of honor he will risk everything to repay. Alexia is the wild card. Reluctant to give up their nightly pleasures, Hayden must find a way to keep Alexia by his side...only to be utterly, thoroughly seduced by a woman who is now playing by her own rules.

Madeline Hunter is a completely new to me author. I don't recall having even heard of her until I read some reviews of this book over at www.dearauthor.com, and as soon as I read those reviews, I HAD to go and get this book, and boy, am I glad I did!

Hayden was almost the ultimate man of honour, allowing people (including his wife) to think the worst of him rather than spill the secrets that he holds about certain people. I totally bought the growing feelings between him and Alexia. She in turn was intelligent, feisty and realistic - she was the poor relative, but she was not a martyr, not willing to sacrifice on the altar of marriage just to save her family. She also realised that by making the choices that she made she was going to alienate some people that she loved, and made considered decisions accordingly. The background story was extremely interesting, although I did cringe at just one aspect about Alexia's cousin Ben, who she thought was going to offer for her before he died whilst fighting another country's war.

There were interesting secondary characters, particularly Hayden's brother and Alexia's friend and her cousin as well. I love a series, so here's hoping we will get to see more of these characters. It looks as though there is a connected book due out in September called The Lessons of Desire.

For a much better review, click here and here for the two Ja(y)nes thoughts.

One indication of how much I enjoyed this book is that as I sit here thinking about what to say I find myself wanting to reread this book, even though I only finished it on 3 January. I don't really do rereads - in fact last year I only reread one book, and that was a book I read in high school.

I will definitely be reading more by this author!

Rating 4.5/5

Australia Day 2007

On this day, 26 January 1788, the first ships carrying colonists arrived at Sydney Cove. Those early days of colonisation were very difficult - we've come a long way since then.

So today is Australia Day. Generally we don't get too involved in doing anything special, although it is a public holiday so if I wasn't already on holidays I would be having a day off. I might go and buy some lamingtons a bit later!!


I've been off work for two weeks now, and yet I still haven't managed to get everything done that I wanted to do. One of those things was to catch up on reviews...instead I find myself falling further behind!

I have managed to do a couple of things that have been hanging around forever though, and on Monday I have a couple of workmen coming to have a look at some things for me. Hopefully by the time I go back to work on Wednesday I will have done all the things I wanted to do.

Joint review - The Silver Rose by Susan Carroll

Kailana and I were meant to do a joint review of The Silver Rose by Susan
Carroll ages ago. She has just read it and she has added her thoughts to mine on her blog. Her post can be found here.

Midnight Pleasures Anthology

Handsome and sensual, surrounded by an aura of danger, mystery, and the forbidden, a lover steps from the shadows. But is he mortal? Or is he an ancient god, a sorcerer, or a mythical beast who can possess a woman's heart...and her very soul?

Four of romance's most popular authors have created this spellbinding collection of stores filled with dark passion and desire. Under the cover of darkness, their heroes inhabit worlds haunted by ageless hungers and deadly forces stronger than any seen by day...and vanquished only by the power of love.

Now travel into realms where dazzling wonders roam the night, where magic replaces reason, and where a kiss unleashes a raging fire in the blood. And here, if you dare, discover the seduction that begins at the bewitching hour when a man and woman partake in...Midnight Pleasures.

I finished this anthology last night and whilst I normally like to review books in the order that I read them in. However, with this one I wanted to write the review straight away because otherwise I knew that I was going to forget some details! I originally got this book from the library so that I could read the novella Phantom Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon as I continue glomming the Dark Hunter series. I had never read any of the other authors in the book. As soon as I got it, I read Phantom Lover and then I tried to start the other novellas.....and now I am not even sure where to start!!

The price of saving her dying mother is Channa's promise to spend a year at the castle of the tormented nobleman, Lord Darkfest....to obey him as his servant, or as his secrets are revealed, or become his salvation. And her own.

The first story in the book was Darkfest by Amanda Ashley. I am not sure how to say this any other way but........WHAT A STINKER! Starting from the characters names - the hero's name is Darkfest and the heroine is Channa Leigh! Now Darkfest is a wizard - to me it sounds more like the name of a convention of warlocks and wizards, not an individual!! Now, not only is he a wizard, he can change into a wolf. Channa Leigh is blind but can see when she is touching the wolf.

In exchange for her mother's life, Channa Leigh has to spend a year with Darkfest, and then when that year is over, she will be able to go and marry her betrothed Ronin. Now things get really silly when Darkfest turns Ronin into a frog. Also featuring in this story is a dragon, and then I did wonder if Darkfest was also going to turn into a vampire as well because he seemed to have an aversion to sunlight as well that either wasn't really explained or I just skimmed over what explanation was there. There were a couple of really squikky moments when he was a wolf and ....well, you get the idea. If I could put a book down when I wasn't enjoying it, I wouldn't have finished this one, but I can't so I did, and I tell you it was a relief when it was over!!! If I was rating this story I would give it a 1/5.

Haunted by recurring nightmares of terrifying beasts, Erin McDaniels is afraid to sleep - until a hero arrives in her dreams to save her....and makes erotic, incredible love to her. But can she find him again when she is awake?

Phantom Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon was the first novella that I read out of this book, and I really enjoyed it. This short story introduces the Dream Hunters into the Dark Hunter series, and so whilst it really could be read alone, I suspect that this novella provides yet another platform in the series.

The hero is V'Aidan, who is not necessarily the good guy at the start, but something about Erin reaches his feelings, something that he is not supposed to have as a Skoti:

Skoti are not supposed to have any creativity of their own. They're not supposed to want love. Not supposed to want anything except a single night of dream surfing, hopping from one person to the next.

I really enjoyed this story, and it was very, very steamy! It will be interesting to see where the Dream Hunter story lines go in the future.

A consultant for a TV series about one gorgeous witch, "white witch" Melissa St. Cloud plans to make the show authentic. But once on the set she is pulled into the arms of a man who opens up a doorway to the dark side and chilling peril.

Next up was Under Her Spell by Maggie Shayne. As soon as Melissa St. Cloud meets Alexander Quinn she is irresistibly attracted to him, but she is also immediately aware that there is some kind of darkness around him. As the story progresses we get to find out more about him, and where that feeling of darkness comes from. As part of that we find out about a 30 year old mystery, and the influence of the father that Alexander never actually met over his life.

Whilst I didn't mind this story, there was a bit too much info dump in it, especially around the spells and what have you. It wasn't a bad story I guess.

Running away from an arranged marriage, Elise steals aboard a wagon in a traveling circus and finds herself in the bed of the Beast Tamer, Sterling Wulf, who is something other than he seems....and suddenly all Elise desires.

The final story was A Wulf's Curse by Ronda Thompson, and to be honest, this is the only author out of the three new to me authors in this anthology that I will read again. All of the males in Wulf's family have been cursed - if they love, then they will be destined to become werewolves whenever there is a full moon. For this reason, Wulf has basically withdrawn from the world, and women in particular, but when he finds runaway Elise Collins in his bed, suddenly he realises that he hasn't withdrawn far enough away. As Elise negotiates to stay with the circus until they get to Liverpool where her aunt lives, it is agreed that it is under the condition that she will work for her keep, and in a circus that means performing. In order to try and scare her away, it is suggested that she will do the Dance of the Veils, something that should mortify a well bought up young lady of the ton, but fear is a powerful motivator, and Elise is terrified of being found by her uncle and forced into marriage with the man of his choice. As Elise and Wulf spend more time together their feelings grow stronger, until the secrets that they both have are revealed.

This seems to be an introductory story in a new series, and having read this, I have added the other three books featuring the Wulfs to my TBR list.


So overall, one stinker, one okay read, and two pretty good reads.

Rating 3/5

Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood

The second in the classic Phryne Fisher series from Kerry Greenwood, featuring the irresistible heroine Phryne. Whether she's foiling kidnappers, seducing beautiful young men or simply deciding what to wear for dinner, Phryne handles everything with her inimitable panache and flair.

Danger, excitement and love - this is how the glamorous Phryne Fisher is determined to live her life in her second enticing adventure.

Walking the wings of a Tiger Moth plane in full flight ought to be enough excitement for most people, but not Phryne Fisher, amateur detective, woman of mystery, as delectable as the finest chocolate and as sharp as razor blades.

In this, the second Phryne Fisher mystery, the 1920s' most talented and glamorous detective flies even higher, handling a murder, a kidnapping and the usual array of beautiful young men with style and consummate ease - and all before it's time to adjourn to the Queenscliff Hotel for breakfast. Whether she's flying planes, clearing a friend of homicide charges or saving a child from kidnapping, she handles everything with the same dash and elan with which she drives her red Hispano-Suiza.

Finally!! I am up to reviewing books that I have read this year!

This is the second in the Phryne Fisher series after Cocaine Blues and once again she is completely embroiled in mysteries. This time there are two - the death of a successful business man whose son has been accused of being the murderer and also the kidnap of a young girl.

Phryne is a completely exuberant character -as an example, in the first few pages of the book she goes walking along the wings of a Tiger Moth aeroplane for fun.

During this book we get to meet a few more of the people who I suspect are going to become regulars in the series, including her new housekeepers, as well as some that we met in the last book like Dot, her maid. Phryne has moved out of the Hotel Windsor and into her own home, and her new servants must get used to the quite liberal lifestyle that Phryne indulges in, including a handsome young doctor, and a passionate Italian sculptor.

Once again, Kerry Greenwood has done an excellent job of portraying the setting of the latter days of the 1920s, and the times of an exuberant, independent woman living life to the fullest! There were also the familiar settings of Melbourne and Geelong as an added bonus!


Rating 4/5

Very strange

Some of you may know that just before Christmas I started doing card making. I'm not really a crafty person so whilst it is fun it is also quite challenging for me.

Starting last Friday night, I have signed up for a monthly card making workshop where a group of us will get together, learn new things and just have a chat and some wine or stuff.

Anyway, a couple of days before the first workshop, we got an email saying having a think about what we had coming up, and we may have some free time where we could make birthday cards etc. So I was thinking about what I have coming up and was compiling a list (couple of birthdays, an engagement etc).

So I went to bed thinking about my list, and I dreamed about the list of cards that I needed to make, and I very vividly dreamed that I needed to make a With Sympathy card. Even when I woke up it was very clear that I needed to make one, but I had no idea why or who for. We didn't end up having very much free time, so I didn't make it.

Today, a family that I have been friends with for 20 years have rung and said that they were on their way over from Adelaide to Melbourne because his grandmother has died, so we are going to have lunch with them today. My sister was like "so this is who you needed the sympathy card for".

Very strange!

50th Birthday card

I made this for a friend of mine who turned 50 recently. I'm pretty happy with the way it worked out!

Card Making Workshop - January 2007

Someone I know is starting to have monthly cardmaking workshops - each month will be a different theme, and tonight's was Special Occasions. Very timely for me, as my cousin got engaged a couple of weeks ago! My sister and I are both doing the workshop though so we ended up having to decide who was sending which card, so she is sending her version of the black card and I am sending the white and pink card.

I didn't follow instructions properly so my purple card ended up being a horizontal card instead of a vertical card...but it still looks pretty good (well,except for the fact that I didn't get the stamps lined up properly, but it's easy to be critical.)







If nothing else we had a lot of fun, which is what it's all supposed to be about right?

More Christmas Cards

I've mentioned a couple of times that I had some more pictures of Christmas cards, and finally I am getting around to uploading them!!



This card was inspired by something I saw over on Hero Arts. I bought a five pack of Christmas stamps and this is using just one of them.Of all the cards I made this Christmas, this was one of my favourites.





These three were once again inspired by the same set of stamps that I bought and an idea I saw over on the Hero Arts website. I much prefer the bottom two.




This was actually the first card I ever made. It was made at a Crafty Kidz workshop so it was really just following the instructions we were given!



This one was one that my sister's mother in law learnt at a Crafty Kidz workshop and then tried to impart to me!! It looks really effective, but let me tell you that trying to get the pieces back into the triangle shap after they had been cut up was very tricky!





These are actually both the same cards. I really liked the way that the stippling thought the punched out stars left the shapes on the inside of the cards. I wasn't overly happy with the middle line of the card....never mind!

So there you have it!! At least I made some cards!

Expensive day out

I am on holidays from work at the moment, spending two weeks of the holidays with my son. Today we decided it was a good day for an outing so we decided that we were going to go to the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre and go for a swim. In order to get there we need to go past the city so I decided I would drop into the romance bookstore and pick up a couple of books (The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason and Demon Angel by Meljean Brook) that I had waiting for me. Because the store is right in the city I don't normally drive, but today I did.

I got to the store and there were no parking spaces, so I parked in the 15 minute loading zone. I was in the store for 7 minutes tops, and came out to find that I had got a parking ticket. $107 fine......would have been much cheaper to just get the two books sent to me! I am going to try to appeal - after all I was loading (right?), and I was less than 5 minutes! What do you think my chances are? What's your most expensive trip to a bookstore been?

To top it all off, my son fell over and landed on his butt on the pool deck, banged his head on the waterslide on the way down and caught his fingers in the back door a little while ago. Maybe we should have just stayed in bed!

Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich

When Megan Murphy discovered a floppy-eared rabbit gnawing on the hem of her skirt, she meant to give its careless owner a piece of her mind, but Dr. Patrick Hunter was too attractive to stay mad at for long. Soon the two are making Thanksgiving dinner for their families.

And this was the last book I read in 2006...phew! Now I can start writing about the books of 2007!

As always, these re released romances of Janet Evanovich's are good brain candy. The storyline was probably a little unrealistic, what with a baby being left on his doorstep (he's a paediatrician) and therefore him needing Megan to help look after the baby. Soon the two are playing house and things begin to heat up!

It was a fun little read, as they all are, although this was better than some of the others that have been re released over the last couple of years.

Rating 4/5

Finished Reading on 30 December 2006

Cool!

I went to the letter box today and found that I had received two books!

One was Archangel by Sharon Shinn which I won from Twisted Kingdom not too long ago and the other was the School for Heiresses anthology that a friend from one of my groups sent me!

Woo-hoo!


Thanks guys!

I'm so excited!!

Been a while since I posted, but I am still buying things for the card making. Just today I went and bought some new papers and an embellishment! One of the scrapping stores near me has packs out every month which include some papers and something else. I bought one in December and today I bought another one. The main reason why I am buying them is because they have different coloured papers and the like that I never would choose if I was walking into the shop and the plan is that this will help me expand my horizons a little!


One of the things that I am going to be doing this year in terms of cardmaking is to attend monthly workshops with a trainer and the first one is Friday night! She is going to be imparting various techniques and I am hoping to get some really good ideas.


At the moment I have a couple of cards to make - an engagement card for my cousin, a 50th birthday card for a friend, a 30th birthday card for a work colleague and my sister's birthday is coming up as well.

Will be interesting to see what I learn.


I do have some more photos to post soon, when I get around to it!

Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes

'I had to go back to New York and try to find him. There was a chance he mightn't be there but I had to give it a go because there was one thing I was certain of: he wasn't here.'

Anna Walsh is officially a wreck. Physically broken and emotionally shattered, she lies on her parents' Dublin sofa with only one thing on her mind: getting back to New York. New York means her best friends, The Most Fabulous Job In The World and above all, it means her husband, Aidan.

But nothing in Anna's life is that simple anymore!

Not only is her return to Manhattan complicated by her physical and emotional scars - but Aidan seems to have vanished.

Is it time for Anna to move on?

Is it even possible for her to move on?

A motley group of misfits, an earth-shattering revelation, two births and one very weird wedding might help Anna find some answers - and will change her life forever.

Hilarious, heartbreaking and life-affirming, Marian's unforgettable new novel is as epic as it is entertaining.

Oh my goodness, what a book!! I am officially a Marian Keyes fan girl. This book is the latest book in the Walsh sisters series, and in my opinion it is one of the best I have read by her, rivalling even Last Chance Saloon.

I've said before, and I will say it again I'm sure, that one of Keyes' skills is to take a very serious topic, and not only work through it, but make it funny and entertaining, and emotional and heart breaking. I cannot tell you the number of times that I cried during this book.

When we first meet Anna again, she is staying with her parents, who are as kooky as ever. She is scarred and has broken bones, and yet we don't really find out what has happened to her until a fair way into the book. Anna is also desperate to talk to her husband Aidan. We get to hear the story of how they met, and their life together in New York, where she has what appears to be the perfect life. Of course, not everything is perfect, and there are some surprising revelations, especially at the end of the book, but they definitely still fit the things that we knew about the characters in the book.

As Anna returns to work, her desperation to speak to Aidan increases until finally we find out where he is. It's not possible to discuss this book without major spoilers, so I will leave it at that, but I do really, really highly recommend this book.

There are lots of appearances by the other Walsh family members, but it was most fantastic to see the interactions between Anna and Rachel, and the super cool Luke from Rachel's Holiday, along with his friends The Real Men.

This was the second last book I read in 2006, and it was one of only five 5/5 reads for the year - definitely one of the most enjoyable and most memorable books of last year! Have I gushed enough yet?

Oh, and I am not alone in my enjoyment of this book! Clare from Confessions of a Book Addict gave it a 6 out of 4!

Rating 5/5

Finished reading on 30 December 2006

The Master Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Master Quilter opens with the sound of wedding bells ringing in the ears of the Elm Creek Quilters. The close-knit group can hardly believe that their own Sylvia Compson planned her holiday wedding to sweetheart Andrew in complete secrecy, without the help of even one of her friends. Eager to honor the newlyweds, the Elm Creek Quilters hasten to stitch a bridal quilt for their favorite Master Quilter. Until the time comes to unveil the surprise gift, they reason, Sylvia will be the one in the dark.

Such little white lies seem harmless enough, especially in the service of future happiness. Yet Elm Creek Manor, and the quilting retreat established there by the Elm Creek Quilters, thrives on the strength of women sharing their creativity, their challenges, and their dreams. Somehow, in the race to commemorate in Sylvia's bridal quilt all that they hold dear about her wisdom, skill, and devotion, they forget to give honesty its pride of place.

As the quilt blocks accumulate, the Elm Creek Quilters celebrate the joy of new beginnings and the ongoing success of their business -- until forces conspire to threaten their happiness and prosperity. Two among them falter in their personal relationships, yet they are too proud to share their pain. The financial problems of another leave the quilt project vulnerable to a malicious act that may prevent its completion. And as two others weigh the comfort of the present against dreams of a future far from Elm Creek Manor, closely guarded secrets strain the bonds of friendship with those who may be left behind.

The Dallas Morning News has praised the Elm Creek Quilts series as "classics of their kind," and The Master Quilter is Chiaverini's latest gift to readers.

I my review of the last book I read in this series, (The Quilter's Apprentice)I said that it took me a long time to get into the book, and that it wasn't as good as the earlier books in the series, and I am sorry to report that the same is true of this entry in the series. In fact, I enjoyed this one even less than the last one.

When trying to think why, I think it was because the focus shifted again from the past and returned to the original characters that were featured in the The Quilter's Apprentice, but instead of an affirming story of friendship, there was conflict, and secrets amongst other things. Some of the topics were also much bleaker including the very volatile breakdown of a marriage and old rivalries that came to a confrontation. So whilst the book was much darker in tone, and more realistic I guess, I am not one hundred percent sure that this is what I wanted to read at the time - so some of my issues about this book are probably more about me than the book really.

Yes, in the end, there was resolution, and there are changes afoot at Elm Creek Quilts. The writing was still good. I do have the next book in the series to read. Hopefully the next book will meet my expectations a little more.

Rating 3/5

Finished reading 29 December 2006