Quilts and Books

May was the month of The Quilt of Many Squares . Seriously, just about every spare minute I had was spent working on that thing--assuming I had the energy. I didn't read much, or when I did it was late in the evening or on breaks at work. Sadly, I look back and don't remember a whole lot about these, but I do know that I enjoyed them and they were a welcome respite from sewing deadlines and trying to get The Teen to finish the school year on a positive note. It was a brutal month. 5. Harper's Bride by Alexis Harrington . I can't remember what prompted me to purchase this for my Kindle, but I'm awfully glad I did. It was originally published in 1997 and it would appear that most (if not all) of Harrington's back list is in e-book form. Melissa Logan marries Coy Logan to escape her abusive family, only to find herself dragged off to the Yukon gold rush and then sold to shopkeeper Dylan Harper to pay a debt. Melissa cooks and cleans for Dylan, and even starts he...

Many of us readers have particular authors that we gravitate toward. Their writing and their stories have that certain "something." It was no surprise as I compiled this list to realize that the 5 authors represented here are among the ones I most look forward to reading. I have gushed over a few of them in this blog previously. Without further ado, last month's Phaves: 5. Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney . When I started reading romance again about 6-7 years ago, Putney was one of the first authors I discovered. Her Shattered Rainbows is one of my top 10 reads of all time. Putney took a detour into the paranormal (with mixed results in my opinion) and then a publisher switch meant a two-year gap between books. It was with a great deal of anticipation that I read her first straight historical in some 5 years. The hero of this story is the victim of an accident that leaves him with amnesia. He suddenly appears in Mariah's life just when she's in the need of ...

OK, in an effort to discipline myself to blog more, I'm going to try a monthly feature where I'll let you know what my favorite books of the previous month were and why. Some I'll have blogged about, others not. In order, least to most: 5. Rock Star by Roslyn Hardy Holcomb . Ms. Holcomb left some comments in a discussion at SBTB about AA romances which led me to seek out this book. I found it at the library and thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary IR romance. I believe this is Ms. Holcomb's debut novel. I found the characters interesting and their story really drew me in. There's a nice little "mini-sequel" available as a free download on the author's web site. 4. One with the Shadows by Susan Squires . Ms. Squires' first book in this paranormal series about vampires who are created because of a symbiotic parasite in the blood is one of my favorite paranormal books. The book previous to this one was disappointing and I almost decided not to read...

I discovered Lynn Kurland’s books around 4-5 years ago and blissfully read my way through her entire back list. I’m unabashedly a big fan of her writing. A couple of years ago on a reader forum somewhere I read that her books are full of anachronisms and I realized that she has quite a few harsh critics. But I love her stories and characters so much that I just cannot get worked up about the stuff that obviously bothers others. So because this one wasn’t available on Fictionwise the day it was released I did something I never do anymore—I bought it in print. And I am so glad I did. I had to force myself to read it slowly as it’ll probably be a year until her next release. With Every Breath is another of her time travel stories, pulling in characters from previous books and novellas. While this stands alone quite well, it’s certainly more entertaining if you’ve read the other related books. Heroine Sunshine (Sunny) Phillips is the sister of Madelyn, heroine of A Garden in the Rain . Sun...

Back when I first rediscovered romance novels, I stumbled across Lynn Kurland's books and it wasn't long before I read most, if not all of them. I wasn't aware of terms like "wallpaper history" and her "lite" approach to medieval life didn't bother me. And it still doesn't. Because I sure do like the way she tells a story. I'd probably embrace these common criticisms of her work if I didn't find myself enjoying her characters. And I especially enjoy putting myself in her characters' shoes as they make such improbable, logic-defying journeys through time. What the hey, call me shallow. Over the last few years as I've hung out on review sites and blogs I've learned that the book many of her readers consider their least favorite, is one of my top favorites-- The More I See You . So there. This fact alone probably invalidates anything I have to say . When I Fall in Love is the story of the 4th and final McKinnon sibling, Jennifer...