This week (the last 3 days, really) I read Tempt Me at Twilight, by Lisa Kleypas. It's 3rd in the Hathaway series, and I'm totally bummed the next installment is not out until next summer!
Kleypas weaves a convincing network of secondary characters and setting, and manages to create a vortex around her hero and heroine, which sucks me in every time. Outstanding tension. Though Kleypas gets away with changing character point of view more often than most publishers allow, it's always obvious whose thoughts we're getting. As historicals go, hers are the perfect blend for me - not too much time describing outfits and decor. One of my favorite couples-to-be got some time in the limelight, and involved a little mystery, including a cliffhanger the writers of Dallas should envy. Made me suck in my breath and wish I'd never started reading the series until it was all published!
I highly recommend this set of books - for me, they go in the Keeper category.
Autumn Piper
Got romance?
USA Today Best of 2012
Showing posts with label Lisa Kleypas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lisa Kleypas. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Watcha Readin' Wednesday
I've found another Keeper. It's Lisa Kleypas' Smooth Talking Stranger.
This is part of Kleypas' series about the wealthy and fabulous Travis family of Houston. (think hot, sexy, filthy rich alpha heroes...), including Sugar Daddy and Blue Eyed Devil.
Ella has a real disaster of a family, yet no matter how awful the flashbacks, it's still believably bad, not overdone. She's smart and very aware of how her defective childhood has damaged her. Jack is smooth, sexy, and droolworthy strong, which we as readers can see is just what Ella needs. Throw her abandoned infant nephew into the mix for a heapin' helpin' of cute-n-vulnerable, and this is a book I couldn't put down until I'd finished.
Smooth Talking Stranger is a must-read in contemporary romance (and no, you don't need to read the related books in the series to "get" this one). Borrow it, buy it, get it any way you can. You won't regret it.
Autumn Piper
Got romance?
On the reader: Kathleen Woodiwiss's Forever in Your Embrace
On the nightstand: Lori Foster's Caught!
This is part of Kleypas' series about the wealthy and fabulous Travis family of Houston. (think hot, sexy, filthy rich alpha heroes...), including Sugar Daddy and Blue Eyed Devil.
Ella has a real disaster of a family, yet no matter how awful the flashbacks, it's still believably bad, not overdone. She's smart and very aware of how her defective childhood has damaged her. Jack is smooth, sexy, and droolworthy strong, which we as readers can see is just what Ella needs. Throw her abandoned infant nephew into the mix for a heapin' helpin' of cute-n-vulnerable, and this is a book I couldn't put down until I'd finished.
Smooth Talking Stranger is a must-read in contemporary romance (and no, you don't need to read the related books in the series to "get" this one). Borrow it, buy it, get it any way you can. You won't regret it.
Autumn Piper
Got romance?
On the reader: Kathleen Woodiwiss's Forever in Your Embrace
On the nightstand: Lori Foster's Caught!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Watcha Readin Wednesday
I'm hot in the middle of (or rather, the last quarter of - Shit Hits Fan Moment is coming soon, I just know it!) Lisa Kleypas' newest: Smooth Talking Stranger. In fact, to be perfectly honest, I almost went back to bed to finish reading it this morning after making CornFucscius' lunch and only by the skin of my teeth remembered to blog first.
*sigh*
One thing I did read this week, which in my mind makes my Sony Reader worth its weight in gold - or at least worth the price of the newest iPhone: I've been reviewing my current WIP (non writers, that's a Work In Progress), hoping to refresh the muse and generally remember what the heck has happened in the story. But as with most writers, I find myself stopping to edit - like, constantly. Sooo. On the way out the door to baseball practice the other day, I wised up. (did NOT involve killing any mafia members) I saved the manuscript file as a PDF and loaded it on my Reader and PRESTO, I could read the story without stopping to do any fixing. Awesome. And hey, guess what?
I kinda like the story.
Okay, off to finish Stranger... it's so great. Kinda wishing I'd bought it instead of borrowing from the library. When I'm done, I'll write a review and with any luck, I'll get the date right so it posts next Wednesday instead of, like, an extra post for tomorrow! ahh, those User Errors.
Happy reading!
Autumn Piper
Got romance?
On the Reader: Kathleen Woodiwiss Forever In Your Embrace
On the nightstand: (for after I finish Stranger - 2 Lori Fosters I also nabbed on the NEW rack at the librario)
*sigh*
One thing I did read this week, which in my mind makes my Sony Reader worth its weight in gold - or at least worth the price of the newest iPhone: I've been reviewing my current WIP (non writers, that's a Work In Progress), hoping to refresh the muse and generally remember what the heck has happened in the story. But as with most writers, I find myself stopping to edit - like, constantly. Sooo. On the way out the door to baseball practice the other day, I wised up. (did NOT involve killing any mafia members) I saved the manuscript file as a PDF and loaded it on my Reader and PRESTO, I could read the story without stopping to do any fixing. Awesome. And hey, guess what?
I kinda like the story.
Okay, off to finish Stranger... it's so great. Kinda wishing I'd bought it instead of borrowing from the library. When I'm done, I'll write a review and with any luck, I'll get the date right so it posts next Wednesday instead of, like, an extra post for tomorrow! ahh, those User Errors.
Happy reading!
Autumn Piper
Got romance?
On the Reader: Kathleen Woodiwiss Forever In Your Embrace
On the nightstand: (for after I finish Stranger - 2 Lori Fosters I also nabbed on the NEW rack at the librario)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Watcha Readin' Wednesday
This week's review selection: Seduce Me At Sunrise, by Lisa Kleypas, 2008 St. Martin's Press.
FYI - any fellow authors out there, I bought this book the same day I watched the trailer on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDHsMMd-nS8
In case you're wondering, YES, trailers do sell books.
I'm notorious for starting book series in the middle and this is no exception; it's the second book about this particular family. I will find Mine Till Midnight soon, so I'll be prepared when #3 comes out early next year. But I digress. About this book:
It's 1848. Win is one of four daughters of a wealthy family. A bout of scarlet fever a couple years previous has left her with a weak heart and lungs - generally frail. However, she goes to France for an extended stay with a doctor who nurses her strength back with a healthy diet and exercise. Now she wants nothing more than to return home to Kev, who she's loved since the first time she saw him.
Kev is the orphaned gypsy boy a wealthy family took in and raised as one of their own. He's uncertain of his place in the world and determined to earn his keep with Win's family, though they'd never require him to. He's bitter most of the time, forever an outsider. Only one peson warms his heart, and she has since the first day he met her.
This book was virtually unputdownable for me. Even in my hectic world. I loved Kleypas' contemporary work, and her historicals haven't let me down. She gives us conflicted characters we can relate to. Their problems become our problems. The sexual tension is hot. Fantastic. Her descriptions are just enough to set the mood, without all the tedious details about what each layer of clothing consisted of and how long it took to don. I realize many historical readers love all the description, but I'm just not that reader. I loved reading this book because the story keeps moving.
I rate this book a Nice Bang for Your Entertainment Buck. I'll happily share it with a pal and certainly watch for Kleypas' next debut. I found just one flaw: a particular line of dialogue where the characters are discussing London society. "Gossip travels at full throttle." Unfortunately, it really stopped me. I even did searches on the net, hoping I was mistaken, but alas, the term "full throttle" is used only in regards to liquid fuel engines - none of which were available in 1851, at the time of this conversation. It was the equivalent of a wall-banger for me, but really, why the heck would I bother to throw the book across the room if I'd rather keep reading toward the fabulous happily ever after?
Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!
Get Your Own Copy! A book you love so much, no way are you loaning it out. Worthy of high praise and frequent recommendations – but trust us, if you let someone borrow this one, they’ll “forget” to return it. Don’t miss the next title by this author.
Keeper. You won’t regret either time or money spent with this book. It has a permanent spot on your shelf. Recommend it freely and lend it carefully to that trustworthy “inner circle” of reader friends. Put the author on your To Be Read list.
Nice Bang for Your Entertainment Buck. Well worth your time and money, but not necessarily worth a re-read. Pass it on to someone who’ll enjoy it and keep the author on your radar.
Borrow It. An okay read, but try to borrow it from a friend or library. This author will likely improve with experience, so remember him/her.
Don’t Bother. We won’t sink into varying degrees of badness – one size fits all in our “not worthy” category. Do remember, this is just one opinion, so take us with a grain of salt.
FYI - any fellow authors out there, I bought this book the same day I watched the trailer on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDHsMMd-nS8
In case you're wondering, YES, trailers do sell books.
I'm notorious for starting book series in the middle and this is no exception; it's the second book about this particular family. I will find Mine Till Midnight soon, so I'll be prepared when #3 comes out early next year. But I digress. About this book:
It's 1848. Win is one of four daughters of a wealthy family. A bout of scarlet fever a couple years previous has left her with a weak heart and lungs - generally frail. However, she goes to France for an extended stay with a doctor who nurses her strength back with a healthy diet and exercise. Now she wants nothing more than to return home to Kev, who she's loved since the first time she saw him.
Kev is the orphaned gypsy boy a wealthy family took in and raised as one of their own. He's uncertain of his place in the world and determined to earn his keep with Win's family, though they'd never require him to. He's bitter most of the time, forever an outsider. Only one peson warms his heart, and she has since the first day he met her.
This book was virtually unputdownable for me. Even in my hectic world. I loved Kleypas' contemporary work, and her historicals haven't let me down. She gives us conflicted characters we can relate to. Their problems become our problems. The sexual tension is hot. Fantastic. Her descriptions are just enough to set the mood, without all the tedious details about what each layer of clothing consisted of and how long it took to don. I realize many historical readers love all the description, but I'm just not that reader. I loved reading this book because the story keeps moving.
I rate this book a Nice Bang for Your Entertainment Buck. I'll happily share it with a pal and certainly watch for Kleypas' next debut. I found just one flaw: a particular line of dialogue where the characters are discussing London society. "Gossip travels at full throttle." Unfortunately, it really stopped me. I even did searches on the net, hoping I was mistaken, but alas, the term "full throttle" is used only in regards to liquid fuel engines - none of which were available in 1851, at the time of this conversation. It was the equivalent of a wall-banger for me, but really, why the heck would I bother to throw the book across the room if I'd rather keep reading toward the fabulous happily ever after?
Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!
Get Your Own Copy! A book you love so much, no way are you loaning it out. Worthy of high praise and frequent recommendations – but trust us, if you let someone borrow this one, they’ll “forget” to return it. Don’t miss the next title by this author.
Keeper. You won’t regret either time or money spent with this book. It has a permanent spot on your shelf. Recommend it freely and lend it carefully to that trustworthy “inner circle” of reader friends. Put the author on your To Be Read list.
Nice Bang for Your Entertainment Buck. Well worth your time and money, but not necessarily worth a re-read. Pass it on to someone who’ll enjoy it and keep the author on your radar.
Borrow It. An okay read, but try to borrow it from a friend or library. This author will likely improve with experience, so remember him/her.
Don’t Bother. We won’t sink into varying degrees of badness – one size fits all in our “not worthy” category. Do remember, this is just one opinion, so take us with a grain of salt.
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