Book Review: A Touch of Gold

YOU GUYS. Drop everything and buy this book. It's been five days since I read/finished it (in one sitting) and I'm still thinking about it!

A Touch of Gold - Annie Sullivan

Gold is wealth. Wealth is power. Power is a curse.

King Midas once had the ability to turn all he touched into gold. But after his gift—or curse—almost killed his daughter, Midas relinquished The Touch forever. Ten years later, Princess Kora still bears the consequences of her father’s wish: her skin shines golden, rumors follow her everywhere she goes, and she harbors secret powers that are getting harder to hide.

Kora spends her days locked in the palace, concealed behind gloves and veils, trying to ignore the stares and gossip of courtiers. It isn’t until a charming young duke arrives that Kora realizes there may be someone out there who doesn’t fear her or her curse. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals precious items from the kingdom, leaving the treasury depleted and King Midas vulnerable. Thanks to her unique ability to sense gold, Kora is the only one who can track the thief down. As she sails off on her quest, Kora learns that not everything is what it seems—not thieves, not pirates, and not even curses. She quickly discovers that gold—and the power it brings—is more dangerous than she’d ever believed.

Midas learned his lesson at a price. What will Kora’s journey cost?

I'll start by telling you I'm giving this one FIVE gold stars because any book that has me wishing for more five days later is worth every star I can give it. If you're familiar with the story of King Midas and his golden touch, then you'll love this part two almost. We know he turns his daughter gold but what happens after that is where this book comes in. Kora is still golden, but she hasn't ever left the palace but she has to now because only she can track down her father's stolen gold before he's too weak to survive. So off Kora goes, aboard a ship with her stowaway cousin Hettie, and the suitor who has come to court her but also offers his assistant, Aris. But it's not all smooth sailing because soon enough she realizes the danger she's in from the crew members but also the realization she will eventually have to face off with a pirate named Captain Skulls. 

There are SO MANY plot twists in this one that more than once I found myself saying, "SHUT THE FRONT DOOR" and I couldn't stop reading it. I finished all 300some pages in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. It's a YA book so it's got a little romance but nothing extends past kissing so this is perfectly OK for a kid to read it. In fact, my almost 13 year old has stolen it from my desk already. I am so impressed with this author and her writing style, it's just a smoothly written novel with a twist on a classic. Absolutely loved it.

   

Book Review: Heart of Fire

I am pretty thankful that Jackson has tennis lessons for another five weeks because I get an uninterrupted hour of reading in every day and that's been kind of nice. But today I'm having my endoscopy done so I'm giving you a book review because I've been a bit of a basket case in anticipation. Tomorrow I'll have another book review but that one is a FIVE STAR one that I couldn't put down!

Heart of Fire - Linda Howard

A fabulous lost Amazon city once inhabited by women warriors and containing a rare red diamond: it sounded like myth, but archeologist Jillian Sherwood believed it was real, and she was willing to put up with anything to find it -- even Ben Lewis. Ruffian, knock-about, and number one river guide in Brazil, Ben was all man -- over six feet of rock-hard muscles that rippled under his khakis, with lazy blue eyes that taunted her from his tanned face. Jillian watched him come to a fast boil when she refused to reveal their exact destination upriver in the uncharted rain forests -- and resolved to stand her ground. Neither of them could foresee what the days ahead promised: an odyssey into the fiery heart of passion and betrayal, and a danger that would force them to cast their fates together, immersed in the eternal, unsolved mysteries of love....

I'll start by saying I totally enjoyed this one and it reminded me a little of her Cover of Night book where the man takes over extreme conditions to save the woman but the woman is no slouch herself. This was different in that it takes place along the Amazon River in Brazil and they are dealing with  murderer closely while searching for the treasure that may or may not be there. Jillian is absolutely sure that it is and is determined to find it to not only salvage her working reputation but that of her late father's. Ben is the guide up the river and back and he's curious only because of who is financing the trip, a known criminal with a reputation who has brought along a murderous thug as hired help. Once they find the Stone City things start to unravel quickly and it's a race to get back to civilization before they are murdered. But in the middle of it all, Ben and Jillian strike up an unlikely romance that's as hot as the jungle itself, but with a relationship clouded with deception, it's anyone's guess if they make it.

I know next to nothing about the Amazon River but Linda Howard's writing puts you right in the middle of it, and all of the discussion about heat and humidity makes this a perfect summer read! It's 309 pages but I made it through in a few hours (actually 4 of Jackson's tennis lessons plus one evening session but that makes it sound longer than it really was) and enjoyed it. 4 stars.

   

Book Review: A Game of Chance

The best part of Jackson having tennis in the summer means it's a guaranteed hour to myself to read. I occasionally look up to make sure he's still out there but for the most part I'm reading because I don't understand tennis. Their scoring is bizarre. Anyways, I'm going through my old Linda Howard books that I just ordered and I faintly remember reading this one long ago but I could be wrong.

A Game of Chance - Linda Howard

Romantic suspense, originally published by Silhouette Intimate Moments. The last book in the Mackenzie Family series focuses on Chance Mackenzie, a feral, homeless adolescent until rescued and adopted by Wolf and Mary Mackenzie. The stunning and aloof half-breed has built a career in undercover ops, first as a Naval Intelligence Officer, then as a private consultant. However, one particularly vile terrorist has always eluded the law. Chance and brother Zane find a way to lure Crispin Hauer in: They'll use his daughter Sonia as bait. First step: Make Sunny fall in love with Chance. What could be simpler? 

Alright, the general premise of this is almost identical to Loving Evangeline in that it's a guy seducing a girl to get information out of her with the intentions of walking away afterwards. It doesn't happen because the girl is so seductive and amazing that he can't imagine a life without her. This one has a more modern take at relationships and the guy doesn't speak to the woman as if she's a helpless moron so already it has that going for it.

The other perks being that if you're into a military romance, this hits the mark because Chance is a Naval Intelligence Officer, posing as an ex-Army Ranger turn charter pilot. Sunny is a courier on the side but always on the run from her father who happens to be a terrorist. Chance is after her, and information about her father, and prepared to use her as a bait to get it. He has a traumatic back story, as does she, so they end up being a great match for each other.

Overall I'm giving this one 4 stars. It's the Linda Howard I enjoy, it's short and a relatively fast read, it's got an interesting story with complex characters and it was a fun little read. Great for the beach or tossing into your purse to read little bits at a time, though there are parts you won't want to put it down!

   

Book Review: Loving Evangeline

The absolute best part about reading really old romance novels is that they almost never stand the test of time. Surely you can get over fashions and such but the voice of characters is fantastically hilarious and I forgot how much I love it.

Loving Evangeline - Linda Howard

Evangeline Shaw is the key to the conspiracy that threatens Robert Cannon's company. Classified software developed by Cannon's group is being sold to a foreign government without his approval. It isn't just theft or a case of corporate espionage -- it's treason. And the trail leads straight to Shaw -- who by all accounts has both the means and the motives.

Determined to handle his own investigation, Cannon tracks her to a small town in Alabama. But as he tries to untangle the knot that surrounds her, he finds himself questioning he's believed. The facts still seem pretty black-and-but his heart tells him she's no Mata Hari...

I have to give this one a 5 star basically because it's as cheesy and ridiculous as it gets. I had so much fun reading this and I suppose it was probably racy and sexy back in the day but now, especially in the era of #metoo this is so wrong it's fabulous.

So in this gem we have unsuspecting Evie Shaw, owner/operator of a marina, widow of 12 years, pretty, and pretty clueless about men. Then we have Robert Cannon, CEO of everything in life, steely gray eyes, lean like a panther (seriously, the amount of times you read the panther comparison is TOO MUCH! HA!), mean as a fox but also pretty sure he's figured out which employee is selling compromised information for money on the side. Which leads him to where Evie is, a small rinky dink town in Alabama. He's sure that she's somehow in on it because she followed the rogue employee a few times so in order to find out and break the case, he's on it himself. Forget the FBI or other authorities, this guy will circumvent them all and do it himself. As he's sleeping with her (which was amazing ridiculous) he's slowly ruining her life and putting her in a financial tail spin to get her to confess or something, that was never really clear. Of course, she isn't in on it and that's obvious from the word go but he's pretty laser focused on her guilt. It all goes to shit pretty quickly, he breaks her heart, and he struggles to see where he went wrong. It's just nuts.

Anyways. He says incredibly condescending things to her, he assumes that he would just take over her life and she would practically trip on herself to marry him, and he assumes that she can't think on her own. It's really enough to make you put the book down except it was so entertainingly hilarious and eye roll worthy I couldn't stop.

I am SO glad I spent $10 on a ton of backlist Linda Howard books because I'm diving all in now!

   

Book Subscription Boxes: May

I forgot to take a picture of my Bookworm Box but it was so lame you aren't missing anything. I can't even remember which two books I got, they have to be here somewhere that's for sure. 

Let's talk PageHabit, though. 

So this is what I got in my box. A cool pull light that I gave to Jackson, which already broke after two pulls, so that ended up being a bust. A very cool little dude bookmark I also gave to Jackson because I thought it kind of looked like him. A mini book which was meh, a nice bookmark, and a new book by Amanda Quick. I'm not a fan of Amanda Quick, not that I don't like her she just isn't an author I have to read. This one is a roaring 20's type book and that's maybe one of my least favorite genres, I really don't like historical stuff. I find them dull. 

This is my third month with a dud book selection (for me) so I have successfully cancelled that subscription. 

Instead, I'm strongly considering doing OwlCrate again or maybe trying out a new box. I'm kind of undecided. 

But let's talk about books I'm currently reading! I ordered a BUNCH of super old Linda Howard books so I'm going to be working my way through those. I forgot how short some of her older books were so I should be able to fly through them. I'm hoping to complete my Linda Howard library soon! I'm still trying to work through some series I haven't finished that I have on my bookshelf. I made the mistake of flipping books I haven't read on their side and it's glaringly obvious what a problem I have with buying books. It's.... it's pretty bad you guys. So I have to make it through these books before I buy more. I say that but... addiction wins, you know? I can't help it! 

Book Review: Bleeding Love

I'm kind of on a Harper Sloan kick but I swear this is the last book of hers that I have so I'll move further down my shelf!

Bleeding Love - Harper Sloan

I've loved once. I gave everything that I had to that love. Blindly believing that nothing could ever take that feeling away from me. Away from us. And when my little world of happiness was ripped from my fingers, I felt a loss that still haunts me to this day. 

Now I use that lingering grief as a shield to keep my heart from loving again. It's that fear that keeps me from letting anyone, except my daughter, get close enough to make it hurt. To make my heart bleed when I inevitably lose again. 

Until the day I met Liam Beckett and everything I thought I had protected myself from was shoved back in my face. 

He's on a mission to prove to me that a love worth having is a love worth fighting for.

I think I have to move to a different Harper Sloan series or maybe stick with newer books because this one was just meh for me. I think the problem with this one is Megan, she's kind of the worst. Yeah, she is independent and a single mom but she's just whiny and annoying and completely has no back bone. If you liked her Corps Security series, you'll like this series because these are the adult children of the characters from Corps Security and it has almost the exact same voice, so it doesn't feel like anything new. Which is not what I was hoping for, I wanted a fresher take and I didn't expect the adult children to say the exact same things, if that makes sense. And the over use of the word "baby", STOP IT RIGHT NOW. Nobody talks like that. Oh! And "darlin'" too, that needs to stop. It's enough that I won't pick up book one or anything after this one. If I read another Harper Sloan book it'll be something completely unrelated to these. I can only give this 2 stars. 

   

Book Review: Beautiful Music

Fun fact: The very first book review I ever did on this blog, and what got me started, was Michael Zadoorian's book The Leisure Seeker. That was so long ago but (even with memory loss) I remember being so excited when his publicist for the book reached out to me to thank me for the review and she sent me a box of books, including The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin (one I really enjoyed). There was also a book called The Summer of Tiffany, a memoir written by a woman in her 80s and the publicist told me it's never too late to write my book. I think about that every time I hit a slump in writing. So when I saw that Michael had a new book coming and was contacted asking if I'd be game I said OF COURSE.

Beautiful Music - Michael Zadoorian

Set in early 1970s Detroit, a racially divided city still reeling from its violent riot of 1967, Beautiful Music is the story of one young man’s transformation through music. Danny Yzemski is a husky, pop radio–loving loner balancing a dysfunctional home life with the sudden harsh realities of freshman year at a high school marked by racial turbulence.

But after tragedy strikes the family, Danny’s mother becomes increasingly erratic and angry about the seismic cultural shifts unfolding in her city and the world. As she tries to hold it together with the help of Librium, highballs, and breakfast cereal, Danny finds his own reason to carry on: rock ‘n’ roll. In particular, the drum and guitar–heavy songs of local legends like the MC5 and Iggy Pop. In the vein of Nick Hornby and Tobias Wolff, yet with a style very much Zadoorian’s own, Beautiful Music is a touching story about the power of music and its ability to save one’s soul.

I wasn't born until 1982 so I'll be honest when I say a lot of the cultural references from the 70's went right over my head. But I think that's OK because Michael Zadoorian writes in such a way that you absorb the information, you can picture everything around him, and we can all relate to the middle school awkwardness. I don't care who you are, you were awkward. It isn't just middle school that's difficult to navigate (swimming naked in gym class? I'd rather die, thank you very much), but his home life isn't always easy. His father feels distant and unaware, likely stressed out to the max. His mother is emotionally unstable and to be honest, she reminds me of me in a way. Add to this the complexity of all of these characters, you can almost picture someone in your life that could play these characters in a movie and nail it.

The day his father brings home a new stereo changes Danny's life, but the book is more than that. It's about Detroit, Detroit in the 70's during the race riot time period, adolescence, mental health, it's so many real life things all balled up that you can't help but be immersed in it. You find yourself turning the pages, nodding your head, laughing out loud, all of the emotions. I just really adored this book and it feels like a perfect summer read. Maybe pack it on your way to your outdoor music festival, what a tribute. I have to also say, Danny had his coming to Jesus rock and roll moment with Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy album and I also remember the first time I heard that. Senior year of high school, my boyfriend introduced me to Led Zeppelin and I've been such a fan ever since. But that was the year that I went beyond what was on the radio and delved deep into the archives of rock and roll and reveled in the classics. Every emotion Danny spoke about? I felt it, I could identify with it. I can only imagine what life would have been like had I been introduced in middle school like Danny- I might be an entirely different person. And that's what music can do to you. Books, too.