#ArmchairAudies Review: Don't Cry For Me by Sharon Sala

Don't Cry For Me by Sharon Sala
Romantic Suspense
Unabridged Audiobook, Released October 2012
Length 11 hrs, 17 mins, 400 pages
Published by Harlequin Enterprises, LTD.
Narrated by Kathe Mazur


I hadn’t read Sharon Sala’s work in many years and was kind of excited to get this audiobook started for the Armchair Audie Awards. I was once a big fan of Sharon Sala’s writing. Tallchief? Sweet Baby? Annie and the Outlaw? Now  those were some romantic, emotion filled books and were one of the reasons I gorged myself on romances back in the 90’s. Haven’t read them? I recommend seeking them out instead of this one.

Anything but this one . . .

Quinn is a former soldier with PTSD. He’s been home for three years and is living a quiet life near his family way out in the mountains. He works as a ranger, a job he enjoys because he rarely has to deal with people. One day he gets a phone call and learns that a former comrade, one without a family or place to call home, is being released from the VA Hospital. He drives for hours to pick up this old friend who once saved his life and he plans to help out with the healing in any way he can. Quinn’s a pretty nice guy, right?

But wait, I thought he didn’t like dealing with people? Now he has one living with him? Color me a little confused.

Ahhh, hang on. The friend is a she. A beautiful she named Mariah. They used to have lots of sex while stationed in Afghanistan together.

And now it’s starting to make a little more sense. He’s a guy alone in the woods and she has no one in her life. He becomes her entire world. This sort of bugged me and creeped me out just a wee bit, if I’m being honest, but I was willing to play along. It is fiction after all. But you can only push me so far. When a crazed bear, a drug dealer with a gross mommy sexual kink, and a nasty poacher are mixed into the story for pizazz and given their own point of view I wanted to hit the delete key in ITunes. Actually, let me back up and offer up a warning first. There are dog deaths! Nasty, unnecessarily descriptive dog deaths of seven or eight redbone coonhounds (for the record I am biased, I own a redbone mix and he is the sweetest, silliest dog ever). BUT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A ROMANCE NOT A HORROR NOVEL and I was not ready! Not ready at all. It was at this point, which is kind of early on, that I wanted to delete the audiobook from my Ipod and bleach my brain of the horrid images. But I couldn’t because I promised to see it through. And see it through I did.

It turned out to be mostly boring for me. But remember I don’t like suspense much at all and if I don’t love the characters I lose interest and that’s what happened here. Because so much emphasis was put on the suspense, I didn’t feel them falling in love, you know what I mean?  The heroine also suffered from an unforgivable (at least to me) too stupid to live episode. I know, I know, she had some sort of head injury but seriously there is a ravenous, killer bear roaming about and she says something like, “Sure let’s let the puppy out to play unsupervised. Why the heck not? He’ll be fine.”  Gah, I hate it when a character is setup to look like a moron in order to plot a nail biting scene.

Despite all of that I DID enjoy the fact that Mariah wasn’t a weak “save me” type and took initiative to go out and save the day herself when necessary.

I can’t give this book any more than two stars. I will admit that I am completely biased on many levels when it comes to this story. I miss the good old days when romances were actually romantic and didn’t have to rely on disjointed suspense plots to fill out the book.

Narration Notes: The audio was read capably but completely without emotion by Kathe Mazur. Her voice was dead, as dead as those poor doggies (and no I am not letting that go). Seriously, that’s the only way I can describe it. She read it okay but added absolutely no life to the story. I’m a bit surprised this production is up for an Audie Award, but what do I know?

2013 Audio Nominee in the Romance Category

Quote-Tastic: Never Seduce A Scot by Maya Banks

Anna over at Herding Cats & Burning Soup has created another fun meme which she's hosting every  Monday.  If you love discovering hilarious, touching or romantic quotes as much as Anna and I do check out her meme and join in on the fun!

Have a blog? Grab the button and toss up your post! Link up info can be found at the bottom of this post or by clicking HERE! 

I just started the audiobook version of Never Seduce A Scot by Maya Banks. It is my final book to finish up for the 2013 Armchair Audies (you can see all of the picks and my reviews HERE) and so far it looks like I may have saved one of the best books of the bunch for last. The narration is spot on and the characters and their situation are engaging and I'm really loving their confused chemistry. The heroine is left deaf after a riding accident but her family and all those around her think her daft and incapable of being a wife and only want to keep her safe and loved. When the King decrees she wed their clans nemesis they are horrified and this exchange happens between her mom and the groom to be. For some reason, it made me smile. Review to follow later in the week.

Have you read Maya Banks? If so, share your favorites with me.

Join the fun and link up:

#LazyReview That Summer by Sarah Dessen

That Summer by Sarah Dessen

Young Adult

Viking Publishing 2006, 240 pgs

I've heard a lot of good things about Sarah Dessen and even though I'm not a huge fan of teen fiction I grabbed it up when my library made it available on audio.

It turned out to be a very realistic slice of life novel about a fifteen year old girl named Haven whose life has been turned upside down.  She is adjusting to her parents divorce, her father's wedding to the "other woman" and her sister's impending wedding. She is unable to share any of her feelings with her best friend because she's turned into a boy crazy self-centered stranger.

It seems the only one she can confide in her sister's ex-boyfriend whom always made everyone happy.  Haven longs for the days when things were easy; back when she was close to her sister and her parents still loved each other and Sumner is the only one who takes the time to let her vent.

This isn't a romance instead it explores Haven's feelings, all of the pain, the longing and the new reality that she must face and it doesn't flinch away from it. I liked that. Sumner is the catalyst for a change within Haven and ultimately helps her heal simply by listening and then by being imperfect.

I thought this was a very good book.  These people felt real to me.  They weren't always likable but reacted in ways that didn't ring false. If this book is typical of the author's writing I can see why she pops up on so many favorite lists.

Top Ten Books To Make You Gloomy

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. They dig lists and because I do as well I hope you'll join in.

Each week they post a new Top Ten list and everyone is welcome to join. All  they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten (and a bonus) Books Dealing With Heavy Subjects

To balance out the light and fun of last week, this week I'm listing my all-time favorite books that deal with heavier subjects. You're pretty much guaranteed to cry or  feel something painful or uncomfortable when reading any of these.  Many of these books deal with grief, depression, self-medicating, anger, guilt and the aftermath of losing someone close to you. I lost my dad in the most traumatic way when I was barely 13  and it changed me as a person, as well as those around me, in some very unpleasant ways.  In the end, my past has made me a stronger person but I wouldn't wish it on anyone. This is probably why I'm drawn to darker stories and here are some of my favorites. Click on the links below to read my review or if I was too lazy to write one the link will bring you to the books Goodreads page.

1.    Addicted by Charlotte Featherstone (drug addiction) historical romance
2.    Chase In Shadow by Amy Lane (trauma, grief, guilt, bulimia) m/m romance
3.    Going Under by S. Walden (rape, grief) New Adult
4.    The Red Tree by Caitlin Kiernan (madness, grief, loneliness) ghost story
5.    The Mourning House by Ronald Malfi (grief, madness) ghost story
6.    Loving Edits by Mickie Ashling (terminal illness) m/m/m romance
7.    BloodRaven by PL Nunn (sexual brutality) fantasy m/m
8     Skin by Kathe Koja (extreme body modification) horror
9.    Life After Joe by Harper Fox (depression) m/m romance
10.  Horns by Joe Hill (grief/madness?) horror
11.  Out by Natsuo Kirino (rage, desperation, murder) horror/mystery

What Are Your Favorite Heavy Reads?

Book Review: Horrorween by Al Sarrantonio

Horrorween by Al Sarrantonio

Horror Fiction

Leisure Books, 324 pgs, Released 2007

I snatched this book out of my tbr pile thinking it was going to be a spooky tale about a town plagued by the "Lord of Death" and creepy pumpkins. Who can pass up creepy pumpkins? What it really was, however, was a hastily slapped together book containing three loosely related novellas that had previously been printed elsewhere. This would've been lovely if I were looking to read a collection of ho-hum poorly researched novellas.  But the blurb led me to believe this was a complete novel and it wasn't. I've been deceived! And now I'm a bit grouchy.

I made it through the first story even though I had a nagging feeling I'd read it somewhere before (turns out I had). It was about a writer suffering through writer's block, a marriage that is falling apart and bees. The ending drove me nuts because I saw it miles away (and quite possibly because I had read it before) but I did have to wonder why the protagonist never realized it.  This made him look like a real dummy. 

To aggravate me further, a character named Samhain "The Lord of Death" arrives to wreak some havoc. Apparently "Sam" is terrorizing the small town where the nasty bees and the not-so-bright writer live. Typically the Celtic holiday is not pronounced "Sam Hain" but "Sow - En" but I guess it would've been too silly to nickname the Big Baddie "Sow".  Hee hee, that might've kept me reading though! Anyway, if the story hadn't been so average I might have been able to overlook that silly nitpick and go with the flow but it wasn't and I can't let it go. Sorry, I warned you I was grouchy.

The last story bored me so much that I couldn't even get through it. I guess what I'm saying here in this crappy review is that I'd recommend skipping this one unless you're looking for some Horrorweenie type short stories and this all sounds fab to you. 

#ArmchairAudies Romance Review: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
Historical Romance
Unabridged Audiobook, Released March 2012
Length 9 hrs, 53 mins, 320 pages
Published by Tantor Media
Narrated by Angela Dawe




When the book begins, widow Beth Ackerly is engaged to a man she doesn’t love. She had love once but now she’s settling for comfort and children. Those dreams are tossed out the window when Lord Ian Mackenzie, rumored mad son of a duke, first sees her and sets her straight about her money grubbing fiancé. Ian decides he wants her for himself and this off kilter and charmingly strange conversation happens:

“You could always marry me,” Lord Ian said abruptly.

Beth blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“I said, you could marry me. I don’t give a damn about your fortune.”

“My lord, why on earth should you ask me to marry you?”

“Because you have beautiful eyes.”

“How do you know? You’ve not once looked at them.”

“I know.

Her breath hurt, and she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. “Do you do this often? Warn a young lady about her fiancé, then turn around and offer to marry her yourself? Obviously the tactic hasn’t worked, or you’d have a string of wives dogging your footsteps.”

I just loved this scene and most that followed. Beth decides he probably is insane but decides that having an affair with him might not be a bad idea. Beth appreciates his blunt honesty and his looks set all of her sense alive. It turns out that Ian has what appears to be a high functioning form of autism. Because of the times and an unkind father, he spent over half of his life in an asylum and believes he is incapable of love.

“We’re Mackenzie’s. We don’t get happy endings.”

Poor Ian.

I’m not going to rehash the plot. I’ve been doing that too much this month and you really should experience it all for yourself. The love story is beautiful, sensual and filled with touching and charming dialogue. Beth is a resourceful and understanding person who is the perfect match for Ian. He tends to wander off into his own his head and blurt out things having nothing to do with the current conversation. There is a murder mystery subplot that was sort of meh but I wasn't reading this for the mystery anyway. There’s also a PIA bad guy who has a vendetta against the Mackenzies and causes no end of trouble for Ian and Beth but in the end it all makes sense and I was happy with the resolution.

This is a romance worth reading if you’re a fan of sensual historical romances and are looking for something a little different.

Narration Notes: In all honesty, I can’t say this narration is the best I've ever heard but I am not going to downgrade the story because of it.. Angela Dawe does a decent job with the accents when she’s doing them. She has a tendency to slip in and out of the English and Scottish dialect and that was a little bothersome. I also found her reading of the narrative a little cold, stiff and slightly monotonous. It wasn't bad enough to put me to sleep but if the story hadn't been so engaging it would have been tough to stick it out. The production was also filled with several way too long pauses. Did the narrator stop for a snack or did I sit on the pause button? It was weird. If I had a vote on The Audies Awards it wouldn't go to this one

2013 Audio Nominee in the Romance Category

#BookReview: Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha

Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha

Erotic Dystopian Fiction

Amazon Digital Services, 354 pgs, Released 2012

An erotic dystopian novel? You have my attention. The world, ravaged by “solar flares”, has split off into “Eden” where the wealthy live in luxury and thrive beneath puritan rulers as long as they follow the rules. If they dare break them, they are cast out and forced to make their own way in one of the less desirable “sectors”. The sectors are ruled by gangs who live on the wild side; boozing it up, cage fighting for fun and screwing each other with no inhibitions.. Their lives are very different from the sheltered, stifling rules of Eden.

Noelle has just been booted out of Eden for being a naughty girl and wanting to indulge in some sex and drinkies. Despite the fact that her dad is one of the biggest big wigs in Eden, she’s shunned and spit out and now has to find a new life. She’s very lucky that she happens upon Jasper and Lex who take her in and immediately make her a part of their gang which is ruled by Lex’s lover Dallas. Noelle soon learns there is little luxury and no free rides in Sector 4. You strip, suck dick or wait tables. She ends up doing all three and pretty much loving the freedom and sexuality she’s finally allowed to experience without guilt and shame.

I liked this book and will definitely read the next one but unlike a lot of people I didn't love it. I wanted to love it. I tried to love it.  I honestly don’t know why I couldn't love it. It was violent and sensual and the characters were decently drawn but for some reason I just didn't find it Amazing, you know? It was only Pretty Good and I kept putting it down to do other stuff or play Dragonvale. It took me over five weeks to finish it if my records are right. Despite all of the wild sexuality on display, the characters weren't able to grab at my emotions and hold my attention for more than a few chapters at a time. Noelle secretly craves being told what to do and being in control of her partner's desires but I didn't feel that her secret wishes were always truly fulfilled when she was with Jasper. He was almost too nice to her sometimes (I know I’m crazy, right? I can’t believe I’m calling a guy too nice who smacks her bum hard enough to leave marks and ties her up, believe me!).  There was also a little too much non-communication on Jasper’s part. He’s a tough guy, he’s stubborn and he’s very protective and Noelle is as smitten with him as he is with her, but he’s the type to keep his feelings to himself, even going so far as to break off all ties with his love interest “for her own good” if he has to.  That kind of thing always bugs me.

If you don’t already know, there’s a lot of sex happening in this book. The relationships between gang members are “open” even when they are committed to another and it felt right in this world and never forced.  They somehow make it work. I enjoyed all that and the world building was only a little lacking but certainly not an afterthought.  It was the relationship building between the main couple that didn't completely work for me. There are many characters, many complicated relationships and it seems like this book was an obvious “setup” book for more novels to come but I'm not complaining because I will more than likely buy them. In the end, this first book just wasn't as mind-blowing as I’d hoped but I am very interested to see what happens in future books with this group now that we've gotten to know a few of them quite intimately ;).

Have you read this series yet?

*The FTC makes me say I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review.