You're So Vein by Christine Warren

Ava Markham is beautiful, savvy, chic, and more at home with Kate Spade than with the idea of fangs and fur.  She can’t get quite used to the fact that some of closest friends have crossed over to the Other side.  Then one night she is attacked by a rogue vampire, and her deepest fears are realized when her body begins a dangerous transformation from human to immortal—a change she cannot survive without the help of an alluring stranger who comes to her rescue…

Vladimir Rurikovich, an elite member of the European Council of Vampires, is on the prowl for a murderous vampire fugitive on the night he saves Ava from the clutches of death. It takes just one look for Dima to know he cannot live another eight centuries without the stunning and seductive Ava—until he discovers a secret about her bloodline that could change everything…

~~

Christine Warren is a bit of a hit or miss for me. I loved her when I first found her titles online, and continued to enjoy her Fantasy series as they continued, but sadly it didn't last. She moved into print publishing and I kind of feel like it's never been the same. First she started out republishing her older stuff - out of order - which drove me batty. Then she released e-novellas as full length stories that didn't seem to add much to what had be written originally. It's not all bad though, there have been some originals that did turn out to be fun to read, but this one was not what I was hoping for.

Since I've been reading her for a while Ava Markham had always been this kind of annoying, but still big and bad character. The friend that no one could get rid of but loved anyway - kind of like Oscar the Grouch. You're So Vein seemed to the perfect place for her to get her comeuppance or at least turn into a more well rounded character, but it didn't really go far enough. She was turned into a vampire against her will, which is not only something that would drive her crazy as a control freak, but should have sent her over the edge because she considered paranormals 'monsters'. Somehow though she gets over this whole thing pretty quickly and falls in lust, then love, with Vladimir (who has his own connection to the group). It just didn't ring true to me, and ultimately fell flat.

It's a quick read and not completely without merit, I like catching up with Regina and Missy, but it's not my favorite of the series and I think heralds the switch for me from auto-buy to borrow.

Overall Feeling - C

Series - ...13) Walk on the Wild Side 14) You're So Vein 15) Born to Be Wild

Land of the Blindfolded by Sakura Tsukuba

Get ready for Tsukuba Sakura's symbolic tale LAND OF THE BLINDFOLDED, in which one character can only see the past, and another can only see the future! Originally presented in LaLa DX magazine from Hakusensha between 1998 to 2004, the 9-volume LAND OF THE BLINDFOLDED is the story of high school student Outsuka Kanade who can sometimes see a person's future with a touch, and transfer student Naitou Arou, whose ESP is limited to past events. When Kanade glimpses an unfortunate incident coming, can she change it? She soon befriends Arou, who's no novice - he can turn his ability on or off at will, even using it to see an object's "memories." Are these teenaged seers of the past and future made for each other? And who's right: Arou with his "hands off" policy about meddling in people's lives, or Kanade whose more proactive stance has already had unhappy consequences?

~~

I consider manga's one of those things you have to REALLY love to buy all of. Most of the time you can never quite tell how long the series is going to go on and at least $9.99 a pop it can be an expensive habit to stick to.

Which I know sounds ridiculous as someone who buys mass markets all the time, but it's still true ok?! I like to have an end in sight if I'm going to be veering away from my usual.

But to get back to the point, Land of the Blindfolded is a cute, enjoyable, visually appealing story in an easy to consume 9 volumes.  I stumbled upon it when I was unpacking in the new place and rereading it just reminded me how much fun a Sunday afternoon on my couch can be. Kanade and Arou are both ridiculously cute and drawn to match, and the slow evolution of their relationship is appropriate for all ages. It's hard to be different and I think Tsukuba does a job of showing what you as an individual can and can't do to mitigate fallout.

There's a little bit of paranormal as the main characters do have the ability to see the past and future, but all in all this is a cute romance story and I highly recommend it.

Overall Feeling - B

Series - Land of the Blindfolded, books 1-9

there really IS nothing like a real book

Teaser Tuesday (1/10)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"If you're going to offer sex," he went on, "I just think it should be for something life or death. Or money." He thought on that for a moment, nodded. "Yeah. Life-or-death situation or money. But for a chick hobby? That's a little beneath you, don't you think?''

--pg 37, Beast Behaving Badly by Shelly Laurenston

In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz

Scargill Cove is the perfect place for Fallon Jones, confirmed recluse and investigator of the paranormal. It’s a hot spot, a convergence point for unusually strong currents of energy, which might explain why the town attracts misfits and drifters like moths to a flame. Now someone else has been drawn to the Cove — Isabella Valdez, on the run from some very dangerous men.

When she starts working as Fallon’s assistant, Isabella impresses him by organizing his pathologically chaotic office — and doesn’t bat an eye at the psychic element of his job. She’s a kindred spirit, a sanctuary from a world that considers his talents a form of madness. But after a routine case unearths an antique clock infused with dark energy, Fallon and Isabella are dragged into the secret history of Scargill Cove and forced to fight for their lives, as they unravel a cutthroat conspiracy with roots in the Jones family business...and Isabella’s family tree.

~~

I know that for some the addition of paranormal elements to a contemporary romance isn't a good thing.  I suppose it can act as a distraction from the focus of the story, which in my opinion would be the relationship between the two main characters. Luckily for me and other readers, I don't feel like Krentz has that problem, because while reading In Too Deep I never felt like we shifted too far from Isabella and Fallon. It reminded me strongly of some of her older romances, in a very good way, as there was some family wrangling for position and politically people out to get more power for themselves. These are elements I consider outside the realm of the paranormal, so while both of them unmistakably have abilities most don't the romance was definitely the heart of the story. Which I am VERY thankful for since this is a story I've been waiting for (darn expensive hardcovers **grumble**)!

I love Krentz's writing style and her characters, specifically for how human all of them are. In a small town like Scargill Cove the people who stick around all have something a bit 'off' about them, but what would be the fun if we didn't have that? Isabella has an interesting past she's working to get away from and Fallon has both past and present issues, as he can't figure out quite how close or far he might be from the line of 'sane'. Together the two have a lot of sparks and a familiar journey to their HEA - which is not a complaint as mostly without drama happy endings are a good thing to have on the shelf. It's probably considered a standalone but I think reading some of the others in her Arcane Series helps because Fallon pops up everywhere as the head of Jones & Jones.

Overall Feeling - B+

Series - 1) In Too Deep 2) Quicksilver (as Amanda Quick) 3) Canyons of Night (as Jayne Castle)

New Year, New Reading Amidst the Chaos

Well maybe not really a new RAtChaos, but definitely a new review rubric. More often lately I've been feeling hemmed in by my 'thumbs up, thumbs down, eh' review style. I may say what I feel about the book in my review but by the time I get down to the 'Overall Feeling' section I'm not happy with my choices. Even though they are my choices and I have no one to blame but myself.

Thus in 2012 I'm going to push to be more clear and exact about my feelings when I give an overall review and so I'm making the switch to a grading system. Boring I know, but I think it'll work better for me in the long run as a reviewer and better for you as the reader because I'll now be able to give you the option of 'quick and dirty' regarding all the books.

The New System:

A: If you could see me I would be doing a happy dance of epic proportions.

B: While slightly less spastic and entertaining, a B book still has some pretty wonderful things going for it.

C: Average, these are usually worth a read though possibly better as a library pick.

D: Bleh. Probably has a few bits that aren't so bad but I'd be hard pressed to single them out.

F: What the f*ck was I thinking to read this book?

DNF: Did Not Finish. In other words it seemed better to bang my head on the desk then actually finish reading this book.

I reserve the right to use '+' or '-' as I deem them appropriate :D. But that's it folks, short and sweet, so here we GO!

December in Review - BYE 2011!

I have done nothing today and it has been GLORIOUS. I suck at life a bit and am no where near fully moved in to my new place, but you know what? I didn't do anything to fix that today. I opened my balcony doors admired the beautiful weather and sat on my bed. And on my couch. And read and ate food that was delicious.

If you haven't taken some time for yourself yet in this new year of 2012 I must recommend it :D.

For the last month of 2011 I managed to read 23 books. One of my best months so far, even if some of them were rereads. There was so much ridiculousness going on that taking the time to go back and familiarize myself with great authors on already on my shelf was one I don't regret. For most of the year I think my monthly count hovered around the 17-20 mark so I'm just going to say I read a lot of books and leave it at that. I didn't succeed in either of my reading challenges though, which makes me 1) more reluctant to sign up for any, and 2) determined to only take part in ones that I think I can realistically accomplish. We'll see how that goes!

I hope all of you had an awesome New Years Eve, no matter where in the world you are. Mine was filled with food, fun, and actually appropriately priced drinks. I have no regrets and hope that this is a sign that 2012 is going to be good to me.

Wild and Steamy by Carolyn Crane

Lesserblood Lies by Ainsley Davidson

Cast in Ruin by Michelle Sagara

Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch

Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews

Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis 

Nine-tenths of the Law by L.A. Witt

Lawe's Justice by Lora Leigh

Move Me by Emma Holly

Hidden Talents by Emma Holly

Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson

Taking Chase by Lauren Dane

Swimming Without a Net by MaryJanice Davidson

Fish out of Water by MaryJanice Davidson

Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson

Damsel Under Stress by Shanna Swendson

Don’t Hex with Texas by Shanna Swendson

Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts

Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews

Spirit Bound by Christine Feehan

In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz

You're So Vein by Christine Warren

Happy New Year!