Phyl's 5 Phaves from July

This month I read some good ones. But my 5 favorites were:

5. Fairyville by Emma Holly. Hot. Very hot. It is Emma Holly after all. But a delightful story that includes a world that was fun and interesting. Great characters. And hot. Very, very hot. Let's move on, shall we?

4. Tall Tales and Wedding Veils by Jane Graves. A very humorous story about 2 people who are as different as night and day. They are from the same town in Texas, but meet in Las Vegas where they end up getting married, only to regret it the next morning. Once back home they decide to maintain the fiction of the marriage for a month (the reasons are good ones). And of course in the process they fall in love and discover how to live with their differences. I laughed and I cried. I love a book that can make me do both.

3. Embraced by Love by Suzanne Brockmann. This is an early one by Brockmann that I found at the library. An unusual story in that it begins 5 years into the h/h's marriage. Their lives are turned upside down by tragedy and it almost ruins their marriage. They have to learn how to reconnect. I am just getting into reading Brockmann's books and I can see why people like them so much. And this was not your run-of-the-mill story. Well done.

2. Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra. I almost wrote a review of this one. I should have. This is a different paranormal in that the heroine is a selkie; there's not a vampire in sight. Good because I'm getting tired of vampires. Anyhow, selkies are portrayed as very independent, almost hedonistic creatures. The heroine really has to change to make a relationship work. And she has to be self-aware enough to understand what that change means. I think Kantra wrote it just right and it was very believable. The sequel, Sea Fever was just released and sits upon Mt. TBR.

1. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. This is a relatively short book that is probably marketed as general fiction with romantic elements. It is mostly about a heroine with a special magical gift. She's a wounded spirit though and isolates herself from relationships. Her long lost sister shows up on her doorstep with a young daughter in tow. At the same time she meets her new next door neighbor, a single man who's very interested in her. Suddenly her world is turned upside down and she learns to trust and let herself love. This is a wonderful book with richly drawn characters. Pretty amazing considering how short it is. My only wish is that there had been more of it. Allen has a new book out and since it's harcover I've got it on reserve at the library.

Comments

  1. JaceAugust 2, 2008 at 2:48 AM

    Isn't Garden Spells wonderful? :-) I was totally blown away.

    Can't wait to read Sugar Queen. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. PhylAugust 2, 2008 at 9:58 AM

    Me neither. According to her web site she has a book due in 2009 about BBQ. There's a strong food theme in her books. I can dig it :-)

    ReplyDelete

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