Wafi Tagelsir Tagelsir itibaren Asan, Kazakhstan
THE CLUB by Sharon Page was an absolutely a wonderful passionate, mysterious, and dark historical romance! It was a captivating read! I'm in love with Christian! Loved his endearments, calling the heroine love, pest, and more. This was so wonderful, gripping, and had me teary eyed at times! I never so much before wanted them together as they too fought that love and demons to believe they are forever together. I've read that some thought this was a scorching erotic historical romance, but its not an erotic book, but it is a very passionate and romantic historical romances! These last two days have brought me so much joy reading it. This was one book that I could feel, see and touch within The Club. I never left outside of the book until the last page. There's been times since, that I have thought of the hero and heroine and how they would be doing today. The very dark background of the story is what made it an erotic theme. The mystery within this was done so well. When the hero and heroine come together and grow with their love, its very passionate and romantic! Its not an erotic romance as her Aphrodisia books are. And in my opinion, this author Sharon Page is a superb author! I didn't let this book down until I came to the end. Totally absorbing read with the mystery of solving what happened to Lord Wickham, Christian's, sister Del. This author has an outstanding skill to blend this into the story and making it very strong. Ms Page also fulfilled the strength of the romance of Jane, Lady Sherringham and Christian that was so romantic and passionate, that this made too for a wonderful historical romance with both the hero and heroine having a past that pulled them together to grow in love as well as strengthen each other with their healing. This book is on the top of one of the best reads for me this year. I also recommend her erotic historical and erotic vampire romances from Aphrodisia for those who enjoy reading this genre. HOT SILK was her last release out (and on my wishlist) one of her erotic historical romances and her Erotic Vampire romance, BLOOD DEEP, will be out in May! Check out her site at for 18 years of age and above at: http://www.sharonpage.com/
The second in his Accursed Kings series, The Strangled Queen takes up the story of Louis X of France and his adulteress wife, Marguerite of Burgundy. Although the title pretty much leaves little to the imagination as to what happens to poor Marguerite, the majority of the book focuses on the political struggle between the king, his nobles, his brothers and his uncles (especially Charles of Valois). Druon is a really good writer but he has a nasty habit of yanking you of the story for some philosophical statements, and telling the reader of future events. At one point as he describes the harshness of medieval life and it seemed so melodramatic that I could hear it in my mind in that voice from the Ten Commandments (the one that narrates from time to time - here is a link to that section of the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrbSx3... to give you an idea of what I was hearing!). Unfortunately, English translations of Druon's work can be hard to find and expensive. 3.5 stars
Fun little run-of-the-mill fantasy story. All powerful evil threatens to destroy world...the chosen special child who is the only one capable of stopping the evil grew up ignorant of his true identity and fate...the evil discovers him and almost kills him...he is saved at last second by friends and wise, powerful, magical mentor guy who tell him the bare bones of what is going on, but they don't tell him other key facts because he's not ready and that would ruin the suspense...quest against impossible odds...first part of quest completed and on to the next book, etc. That may come off a little more negative than I mean it. I liked the two main characters a lot and the magical Farworld was creative. Kyja's power (or non-power) especially is used in interesting ways. I liked how everything talked and the farm animals told jokes. Many of the bad guys are good enough for this sort of thing. The quest itself seems a little forced, as in the objective doesn't really make sense. I think the title and cover should be different both because those characters are not really a big part of the story and those characters are not as well-written. The cover actually kind of misleads you as to the setting of the book. I can see the 2nd book being named for the quest (Fire Palace or Earth Citadel or something) since we won't need to spend time on all of the introductory stuff from the first book and the quest will be the focus, but it just seems off here. (Like if Harry Potter Five were subtitled The Department of Mysteries instead of Order of the Phoenix--it would fit with the climax, but not really catch the feeling of the book.) It seems like the Author started out with a plan for four books, one each about a quest to meet each of the four elementals (not giving anything away that's not in the blurb on the back of the book jacket) and then titled the book with that in mind. Maybe it will fit better when all the books are written. Overall, it's a nice book in the genre and unique enough to enjoy despite my bit of sarcasm about the plot. I'll read the sequel.
chapter 1: the angel called "the smile of reims" which has to do w/a sculpture...and when the sculpture was destroyed, opinion was divided. an angel, smiling, a saint, not smiling. i take it we are introduced to the four who figure big big in the story. utch, the eye-narrator's wife...severin winter and his wife edith. some background on all. there is some stuff in this chapter that harkens....harkens?...back to irving's other two stories, setting free the bears and well, maybe it was only setting free the bears...severin winter's family, from austria, etc. chapter 2: scouting reports: edith (126-pound class) [winter was a wrestler, coaches wrestling...i guess that is where the "pound" thingies come from.] chapter 3: scouting reports: utch (134-pound class) the last 2 what the title says...character development....and in this one, we get some of what other reviewers talked about...some sort of mutual bedding of each other...this info simply appears...we get the distant past, and the 'present' in these chapters. they are trying to come to terms w/"what" they have...more than just "sex"? severin winter drives...the metaphor applied to him... chapter 4: scouting reports: severin (158-pound class) later on at some point either just before....twould appear...or soon after, the 4 begin to fock each other. i miss the how and the why that happened...maybe w/a look. and bang, there they are. it got to the point where i kept turning to the first page to see whose wife was whose? oh, okay. strange days....they're busy bedding each other, spending glorious amounts of time....but not waking up w/each other....and so on. things like that never continue, do they? no. when it is all said and done, one wonders (eye did) why they bothered. what was the point? i mean, okay, so a marriage is likened to a wrestling match....or sexual congress is likened to a wrestling match. and the point was? was it a call for keeping the marriage bed holy? no, i didn't read it that way. was it a call for redefining marriage? ...ummm, no....i don't think so. was it...is it...a questioning of the marriage vows? perhaps. so...these two couples pair up and wrestle in bed w/the spouse of the other. one guy, the coach, seems to have a problem w/events. i dunno...sure, the world is full of people like this and it is always a hoot to hear about them. so enlightened. so brave. so new. or not. there is nothing new under the sun... ...what was the point? ummm...okay, so the coach had "affairs" even though he and his wife had spent time with another in the marriage bed. so what's that say? that ultimately it comes down to individual choices? and? i dunno...eventually this review will be redefined as a hate crime...and the giraffes at the local zoo will experience new. if they aren't already experiencing that. onward and upward
Mandatory reading for baseball fans
I'm a pretty fast reader but this is the type of book I purposely read slow to savor every sentence. Part love story, part philosophical treatise, part political-historical novel (the occupation of Czechoslovakia by The Soviet Union), Kundera brings it all together in one beautiful story. The four major characters are all so interesting because they are all so vulnerable. I like these characters because they make the big mistakes that we can all make as we try to find meaning in life; through ourselves, through other people, through political causes... Kundera's habit of going from third person to second and first and back, which irked some readers, only endeared me more to the story as I found their dilemna and the writer's philosophical interpretations so dead on to my own beliefs and life questions. A poetic and unique novel.