January In Retrospect

I'm actually glad January is over. Means we're almost there for spring and I'm ready for spring. So, so ready! So let's see what happened in January at Ruby's Books

Book Reviews:

Power Play - Eliza Gayle

Lethal Remedy - Richard L. Mabry
Lothaire - Kresley Cole
The Truth About Us - Dalene Flannigan
Casual - Oksana Robski
The Dragonslayer's Sword - Resa Nelson
The Iron Maiden - Resa Nelson
Lust On The Rocks - Dianne Venetta

Also, I hosted my very first guest post. Resa Nelson, author of the incredibly wonderful series The Dragonslayer, stopped by ant talked about creating and designing a sword for dragonslayers

Movies and TV shows 

This month has been a little slow in the movie department. I only say A Dangerous Method which was, in my opinion, amazing. I loved it and I think I'm going to see it again soon. I was very excited when I heard about it and I now had the chance to see it and I think the actors and producers and writers did an amazing job. 

I was more into TV shows, unfortunately there weren't that many new episodes for the shows I love. I started watching Criminal Minds, the early seasons, while I'm waiting for new episodes.

This month has been a little slow. I promise I'll be more active in February. I'm thinking some higher temperatures would help (I turn into a lazy, slow-moving creatures during winter *blush*)

Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday (16)

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!


My teaser today is from  On Message by Joyce T. Strand :

Jillian was dumbstruck. Her heart rate increased dramatically. Someone had specifically mentioned her name and the floor where she lived? Why? What was going on?

So far, it's a very interesting read. Can't wait to finish it and share the review :) What's your teaser this week?

Book Review: Lust On The Rocks by Dianne Venetta

Author: Dianne Venetta
Source: copy provided by the author for review
Blurb: (from Goodreads)

She has what he needs, and he won't stop until he gets it. Trouble is, what begins as a matter of death, becomes a matter of life.

One case away from partnership, Samantha Rawlings is forced to share her high-profile case with a sexy younger man, whose eyes are on a different prize. In the best interests of her client, Sam opens the door to his strategy. Turns out, a little too far...

Victor Marin has ulterior motives. The defendant in her case holds the key to his revenge and his last chance for justice. But as he chases old demons, he uncovers a powerful woman with no inhibitions, one he wants to possess for himself. But decidedly single, Sam wants no part.

Until Vic walks away.

The first thing I liked about this book was the fact that both the hero and the heroine were lawyers. It's been some time since I've read a book about a lawyer. And I enjoyed the coaching of the witnesses, seeing how they tried to figure out what the best way to question a witness was, who was better at captivating the jury, every little detail about the case.

Sam Rawlings is a very interesting character. She's a very good lawyer in my opinion. She's also sarcastic, stubborn, fun, sexy. I liked that about her. She's a very complex character. She's also the oldest sister and she had to help raise her brothers and sisters. So she's clearly used to being in control of the situation and to take some or all decisions. I think this last part affects her relationships, because she has that "I'm older, so I know better" attitude sometimes. I like the fact that in the end, she admits when she's wrong.

Vic is an easy guy to like. He's fun, sexy, smart, sweet, a very good listener and a good friend. His past is really painful and it made me really sad. It also made me like him more, because for someone who's been through so much at an early age, he wasn't bitter or angry at the world.

There's also a pretty interesting subplot involving Sam's younger sister, Jess. The subject of the unexpected pregnancy wasn't disturbing. It was the way it was treated that was a little more outside of my comfort zone. I understand part of Sam's reasoning, but it wasn't her choice. At times I felt that just because she didn't have a desire to become a mother all the women around her should be the same. It probably isn't something that crossed Sam's mind, but it was the way I understood her.

But the subplot aside, this book was very good, fun, light, sexy, romantic. It was a good read.

My Rating:

Day 08 – Most overrated book

Oh I like this one! *rubs hands* Ok. Before I start, I want to let you know that I'm not criticizing the readers and the fans of the books I'm going to talk about. I know a lot of people talk trash about someone based on their tastes and that's not what I'm going to do. I'm simply saying what I think about the books, nothing more and nothing less. Just because you're fans of these books doesn't make you inferior or superior to me, it just means you like something other than me and that's fine, because we're all unique and we have different opinions.

So back to the topic. I love vampires. With all my heart and soul and I'm not ashamed to say that I'll read (or try to read, anyway) all books with vampires. Call me obsessed it you like. In my opinion vampires can be sexy, fun, strong, dangerous, terrifying, beautiful or ugly. But they cannot sparkle. I'm sorry, but in my head the sparkle takes away something from the myth of the terrifying creatures thirsty for blood. And I grew up in a country that has so many horror stories with vampires, so it's difficult to accept sparkly creatures as part of the scary myth. So no Twilight for this girl. I tried to read it, but I didn't enjoy it.

Then there's the second book that I consider overrated. Now, if you're writing a horror story about a vampire, shouldn't there BE a vampire in it? It's a book that I didn't manage to finish reading, because the horror in it was missing for the first 250 pages. I'm talking about Salem's Lot by Stephen King. I know a lot of people love his books, but after my first go at his work, I'm not sure I want to try again. Yes, I do have a high tolerance for how much gore and suspense and gross a book can have. But I didn't feel any suspense or any indication for that matter that there was something wrong or scary in Salem's Lot. Where was the big, bad, scary vampire? Probably in the last pages, but I felt like the book was so slow, I wasn't intrigued enough to turn another page. I realize it's one of his early stories, so maybe if I tried reading one of his newest novels I'd be surprised. Do I want to? I seriously don't know. If it's horror, it should at least make me think my heart's pounding faster than usual, but all I was thinking the whole time I tried reading it was "ok, where's the bad guy?". I was actually more a little bit more scared by Anne Rice's The Tale of the Body Thief than Salem's Lot.

So these are the two books that I consider overrated. Like I said, if you like these books, then good for you. I didn't and that's that.

What is a book that's overrated in your opinion?

Day 07 – Most underrated book

Oh boy. I'm at a loss here. I actually know no books that I view them as underrated. I know entire genres that are underrated by some, but that's beside the point.

The thing is, there's always going to be a book that doesn't get enough attention, no matter how popular is or isn't. That's why we have different tastes. Some people think Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or Pride and Prejudice are crap, others think they are great books. So it's difficult to say what book is underrated. For me more so, because usually I don't care if the books I like are liked by other people or not :P So for this topic I have no answer, really. *oops*

Do you know any books that are underrated?

Cover Love (3)

This feature is hosted by Carmel @ Rabid Reads. The rules are very simple. Choose a cover (or two, or three), preferably new-ish, and share what you like about it. Grab my graphic or don't just so long as you link back.



My Picks this week:

I realize I'm late to a really cool party. Or so it seems, as I've heard a lot of good things about this series. I tried to resist, but then I read the blurb on Goodreads and I saw some keywords that convinced me I need to read the series. Keywords like ghosts, demon and, a new one, grim reaper. Now I've never read a book with a grim reaper in it before, so I figure it's a must read. I figure that the awesomeness that is the cover for the third installment convinced me to read the books even before I read the blurb though :P

Like I told you last week, I love black and white photos/covers with just one little colored detail. There's just something about that, like a little corner of blue sky in the middle of a storm. And it gives me a sense of mystery. Do I need more books on my TBR pile? God knows I don't, but just look at that cover! And the title Blood Magic just convinces me I need to find out more. I like the birds coming out of the blood-red flower. And the woods in the background assure me it's a book full of suspense and dark moments. So I'm adding it on my TBR mountain :D

Those are my two pics for this week. What are yours?