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| Crazy for You by Kate Angell |
| Friday, March 31, 2006 |
From the moment she spotted his hamburger-and-french-fry emblazoned boxers with the word supersized on them, Bree knew Sexton St. Croix was trouble. Here was a man with just one thing on his mind, but Sex had hired her to do a job and she'd let nothing get in her way. Not even a sudden insatiable craving for fast food, the hotter the better.
Sexton St. Croix had a big problem. His luxury ocean liner was haunted--by the ghost of an unflappable flapper named Daisy. Now, in an effort to persuade Daisy to "cheese it," he'd opened the ship to a veritable psychic circus. With every type of paranormal phony swarming the decks, he was counting on Bree's "clairsentience" to save his bacon. Her exquisitely sensitive fingers could detect the emotional vibrations of an 80-year-old love triangle and the unsolved murder that had resulted, while her tender touch unlocked secrets in his own heart. Here, at last, was the woman to convince the pleasure-before-promises playboy of the virtues of good, old-fashioned romance.
I was told to read this "boxer shorts" book by my pal Holly. She said the story wasn't that memorable but the boxer phrases were. I can see why she said that. It's not that I'll forget the story, it's pretty "out there" and unique, but it just didn't excite me.
I think the whole Daisy murder mystery threw off my focus on the romance of Sex and Bree. I wouldn't even call what they had a romance... it was pure physical attraction in my mind. The writing was a bit choppy...one moment they're talking on the ship, the next paragraph they're already off the island hiking or something. And the flashback scenes of Daisy's time... they happened so frequently that I felt like I was reading more of a historical wannabe Titanic. The flashbacks didn't do much to keep the story flowing. Having to stop Sex and Bree's story to revisit the past and read all those 1920's phrases and slang really threw me off.
Still, it was a light and fast read for me. Nothing too serious. The boxer phrases were by far the highlight of the book. The problem was that they were funny... but nothing else in the book was funny. So to me, the phrases just seem so random. There was also a secondary romance between Sex's sister Cecelia and his best friend Jackson. Honestly... I liked that story/romance more than Sex and Bree's story. I'm giving this one a 2.5/3 out of 5.
And now the Boxer Phrases:
Design: Brown with tiny hamburgers, french fries, and Cokes
Phrase: Supersized
Design: Pale blue with tiny wide-bed trucks
Phrase: Built Ford Tough
Design: Black with a jack-in-the-box on the butt
Phrase: Pop goes the weasel
Design: Emerald with golf course decorations (clubs and tees)
Phrase: Hole in One
Bree had a funny T-shirt too: Chocolate or Sex? Truffles last longer than sixty seconds. |
posted by Daphne @ 9:40 PM   |
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| Why I love working in the desert.... |
| Wednesday, March 22, 2006 |
So there's this one old man named Bill who does accounting for this client of mine. He's by far one of the nicest guys I've ever met, very cooperative with our requests, and always open to discuss issues. There's just a couple of things about him that really crack me up, and make me think.... "hahaha, this is what I love about this job... meeting people like him"
For one thing, his hearing is horrible... last year I didn't catch on to this until I realized after talking he would always say "what? sorry but can you repeat that?" and sometimes I would go in his office thinking he heard me come in, but nope... you have to really shout to get his attention. This year his hearing is even worse (poor guy) and I discovered that he gets around this by reading lips. So you always have to face him and speak slowly so he can read your mouth. My other coworker didn't know this, and the other day he starts gabbing away (facing his computer screen) and Bill's leaning over trying to see his face....and after he's done talking.. he goes... "did you understand that??" and Bill just looks at him and says...NO. hahahhahhaa I was cracking up!!!
Yesterday I walked into Bill's office asking if he could go over an excel spreadsheet that consisted of about 9000 lines of data. I asked "could I look up invoice P1234?" and what does he do? starts scrolling through the spreadsheet!!!! After about 15 seconds of watching him scroll.... I finally speak up and say "Oh Bill... you can just Ctrl + F to get that invoice" and he goes "Ctrl + F? What's that?" So I showed him how to look up things that way and he was amazed. He said learning this will now save him a lot of time on his work. I tried so hard not to laugh... but seriously... can you believe this whole time... he's been scrolling through thousands of excel lines?? Too funny.
Again, I'm not trying to be mean... but man... the majority of ppl in the desert are old. Everything here is so slow paced. I go to lunch and see everyone playing golf. Man, I wish I could have a kickback lifestyle like that. I wish Bill didn't have to work. He's such a nice guy. And this is just one of the many reasons I love working out here. |
| posted by Daphne @ 1:43 PM |
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| Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas |
| Tuesday, March 21, 2006 |
She stood at peril's threshold --then love beckoned her in…
A prim, well-bred gentlewoman, Sara Fielding is a writer who puts pen to paper to create dreams. But now curiosity is luring her from the shelter of her country cottage into the dangerous world of Derek Craven -- handsome, tough, and tenacious -- and the most exciting man Sara has ever met.
Derek rose from poverty to become the wealthy lord of London's most exclusive gambling house. And now duty demands that he allow Sara Fielding to enter his perilous realm of ever-shifting fortunes -- with her impeccable manners and her infuriating innocence. But there is a hidden strength and sensuality to the lady that captivates him beyond his better judgment. And in this world, where danger lurks behind every shadow, even a proper “mouse” can be transformed into a breathtaking enchantress -- and a cynical gambler can be shaken to his core by the power of passion and the promise of love.
So this is the second LK book I've read, the first being When Strangers Marry. I have to ask, how can this author be the same person who wrote WSM?? I enjoyed this book ten times more than the other.
This is my kind of story. I love it when the heroine is all innocent and the hero is just such a rebel. I didn't love love Sara, but I thought she was great. A little stupid for walking alone in the streets at night, but other than that... she was awesome because she never held back her feelings for Derek. Yes, she did deny it a little in the beginning, but I don't blame her. I loved the struggle she had with her feelings for him, considering she was engaged to Perry and had been with him for several years. That scenario was just very believable to me.
Now let's turn to the infamous Derek Craven, who I've heard sooo much about, but never knew which book he was from. I really liked him. He wasn't as "hardened and suspicious" as the book describes. I thought he was caring, otherwise he wouldn't have thought he wasn't worthy of Sara in the first place. I love that this type of man let an innocent not-his-type girl get under his skin. I was a little unsure about Derek was when I saw his poor spelling in that letter he wrote. It had me rolling, and my first thought was... "aww he's not that smart!" I immediately compared that to Ian Thornton, who I remember could do math and read super fast. But, I also forgave Derek's spelling when I realized the poor guy had it so rough growing up. I can't imagine how I would've been able to learn how to read, so I'm totally giving props to Derek for that.
Loved Derek, but I don't think he's the BEST out there. For one thing, I didn't like the whole cockney accent thing. This also applies to the writing in general.. it slows down the reading for me when I have to see words like "Crawen" "Newer" Oh and here's another thing I was kinda eh about... I understand he was so upset when he said goodbye to Sara, but it seemed a tad bit pathetic that he became this drunken cranky broken-hearted man. Come on Derek, even your factotum or whatever he is said you need to get a grip.
But all in all, I really enjoyed this story. The momentum just kept going and I didn't feel like there were times when I just wanted to put it down. I'm a little disappointed that considering he was the most influential man in England, he couldn't stop Joyce Ashby. But I guess her character was a necessity to show us why Derek got sick of living the lifestyle he was living.
I'd give this one 4 out of 5. I can definitely see myself rereading this one again and again.
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| posted by Daphne @ 11:07 PM |
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| Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss |
| Sunday, March 19, 2006 |
Book Description
Behind the foreboding walls of Newgate Prison, a pact is sealed in secret -- as a dashing and doomed criminal consents to wed a beautiful heiress . . . in return for one night of unparalleled pleasure.
In the fading echoes of hollow wedding vows, a promise is broken -- as a sensuous free-spirit flees to a lush Caribbean paradise, abandoning the handsome stranger she married to the gallows. But Ruark Beauchamp's destiny is now eternally intertwined with his exquisite, tempestuous Shanna's. And no iron ever forged can imprison his magnificent passion . . . and no hangman's noose will deny him the ecstasy that is rightfully his.
Behind the foreboding walls of Newgate Prison, a pact is sealed in secret -- as a dashing and doomed criminal consents to wed a beautiful heiress. . .in return for one night of unparalleled pleasure.
In the fading echoes of hollow wedding vows, a promise is broken -- as a sensuous free-sirit flees to a lush Caribbean paradise, abandoning the handsome stranger she married to the gallows. But Ruark Beauchamp's destiny is now eternally intertwined ewith his exquisite, tempestuous Shanna's. And no iron ever forged can imprison his magnificent passion. . .and no hangman's noose will deny him the ecstasy that is rightfully his.
Oh Shanna, Shanna Shanna. With such high hopes for this book, I can't tell you how much it pains me to say that this book was sooo disappointing. After reading the book description, I was very intrigued. But sadly, everything in that description happened within the first 200 pages of the book. The next 400 pages were just a nightmare.
Let's begin with the heroine, Shanna Trahern. You'd think because the book was named after her, she would be so awesome. Nope. Not even close. Shanna was the spoiled but beautiful daughter of Orlin Trahern, Governor of Los Camellos Island. She was basically the woman every man wanted but could never have, and Shanna knew this. She married a convict so that she could tell her father she got married, but not have to actually be married for long since her husband would soon die. When this plan backfired, Shanna became so upset and just kept complaining for the rest of the book. She finally caved in and slept with Ruark to "fulfill their bargain" but she wished to remain a "widow" after that. You idiot, how can you be a widow when your husband is still alive? So she basically refused to acknowledge their marriage throughout the whole book. That is until she thought Ruark slept with another woman. Shanna went balistic, saying he wasn't honoring their vows. Are you f*cking kidding me?? Ugh, sooo frustrating. Shanna just kept kicking Ruark over and over again. And the times she wilfully went to him, were times when SHE wanted to sleep with him. And...she didn't admit she loved him until... oh I dunno...page 500 or so!!!
Now let's go to Ruark Beauchamp. I've read in many reviews that women believe he's the extreme alpha male, a classic example of the perfect hero you can fall in love with. I think... he had the POTENTIAL of becoming a great hero, but I lost all respect for him for always crawling back to Shanna. Ruark had a weakness that all men have, sexual appetite. Only his case was to the extreme. No matter how much Shanna hurt him, this foolio would always find a way to forgive her and speak romantic words to her, only because he was always lusting after her. What an idiot, he KNEW she was bad news yet still could not control his physical urges to take her every time she "allowed" it. I read one review online that summed up Ruark really well....
A prime example of this lies in Chapter 3, where (when I still had hope) Ruark says oh-so-romantically, "You are a flower, surely, madam, but yonder thorn pricks me sorely...you are a rose begging to be plucked...but then there is the one who tends the garden and knows no prodding of the thorns. With careful hands...gently breaks the stem...'tis his forevermore." That's when Shanna tells him his wit is lagging, he's a rogue and a rude knave, and then figuratively kicks him in the stones yet again. This behavior continues through at least Chapter 10, and wasn't showing any sign of letting up.
I don't know how Ruark was able to put up with a brat like Shanna. Beyond her physical appearance, there was nothing that would make me believe realistically a man like Ruark would fall in love with her.
Okay so we covered the two main characters, there's just one more thing I want to point out about this book. The writing and story. Okay, I understand this was written in 1977 or so, so I know back then these "bodice ripper" type of books were flowery and overly descriptive. But it DID NOT need to be 666 pages. I feel like I've wasted so much time reading something that could've easily been 300 pages MAX. The middle story is about Shanna and Ruark getting kidnapped by pirates (no thanks to Shanna who fed Ruark to the wolves after she THOUGHT Ruark cheated on her) Yah good job genius. The middle section is all about their stay together, trying to escape the pirates. You'd think Ruark's saving Shanna's life, not to mention stopping her from being raped by the pirates would make her do her "turnaround" you often see in other romance plots. Nope, Woodiwiss decides to make her even more stubborn to admit SHE doesn't deserve Ruark. The book even has a fold out map of Los Camellos Island! How silly is that?? And the whole time they are keeping their marriage a secret because Shanna is worried her father might have a fit of rage if he finds out that she married a convicted man. Hello Shanna!! Can't you see that not only does Ruark work for your father now as his FAVORED bondsman, but also that your father repeatedly shows how he treats Ruark as his equal?? It's no wonder that in the end Orlin was happy with the news that they were married, not angry as Shanna feared. Ugh, all that sneaking around for nothing.
The writing just plain frustrated me. All the love scenes were either too flowery or just not descriptive enough! So many love scenes just kind of faded away, like the reader is supposed to imagine the rest. That's like watching a movie and just when it's getting good, having it fade to black! Ugh...soooo frustrating. It was just not romantic to read any of those scenes. I felt like Shanna was so selfish that the love scenes were almost painful to read.
Overall I give this 1 star. That one star is about the first 100 pages, and the last 100 pages. I didn't laugh, I didn't cry, I didn't feel like "I couldn't put this one down!" This might be my first and last Kathleen Woodiwiss book. |
| posted by Daphne @ 11:03 PM |
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| March 3, 2006 |
| Thursday, March 02, 2006 |
| Do you know what that means? It means Benny and I have been together for four years now. Sometimes I still can't believe it's already been four years. So even though I know he might not ever read this, I want to say a special HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my one and only Benny. I love you baby! |
| posted by Daphne @ 10:48 PM |
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