I'm over at All About Romance...

I have three reviews up at the Speaking of Audiobooks column - plus there are reviews from other regulars.  Come and say hi! :)

Never a Hero by Marie Sexton

Why I read it:  I received an ARC from NetGalley.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  Everyone deserves a hero.

Owen Meade is desperately in need of a hero. Raised by a mother who made him ashamed of his stutter, his sexual orientation, and his congenitally amputated arm, Owen lives like a hermit in his Tucker Springs apartment. But then hunky veterinarian Nick Reynolds moves in downstairs.

Nick is sexy and confident, and makes Owen comfortable with himself in a way nobody ever has. He also introduces Owen to his firecracker of a little sister, who was born with a similar congenital amputation but never let it stand in her way. When she signs the two of them up for piano lessons—and insists that they play together in a recital—Owen can’t find a way to say no. Especially since it gives him a good excuse to spend more time with Nick.  

Owen knows he’s falling hard for his neighbor, but every time he gets close, Nick inexplicably pulls away. Battling his mother’s scorn and Nick’s secrets, Owen soon realizes that instead of waiting for a hero, it’s time to be one—for himself and for Nick.

What worked for me (and what didn't):  Let's start with what I liked.  I thought (with the exception of Owen's mother) that issues of disability were well handled in the novel.  Owen has a congenital amputation of his left arm below the elbow.  Because of how he was raised (more on that later) he is very sensitive about it and is basically a shut in.  After he meets Nick and also Nick's sister June (who has a congenital amputation of her right arm), he is shown a new-to-him way of dealing with his disability and Nick's direct speech opens Owen's eyes as to why many people seem uncomfortable - not that they think he's a freak but they're not sure what to do and default to ignoring it rather than risk offence.    Through his relationship with Nick, Owen finds his world has opened up and his focus changes.  I'm no expert, but it seemed to me to that disability was handled pretty well in the book.

Untamed by Anna Cowan

Why I read it:  I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.  It's been on my radar for a while now.

What it's about:  (from Goodreads)  Outspoken and opinionated, Katherine Sutherland is ill at ease amongst the fine ladies of Regency London. She is more familiar with farmers and her blunt opinions and rough manners offend polite society. Yet when she hears the scandalous rumours involving her sister and the seductive Duke of Darlington, the fiercely loyal Katherine vows to save her sister's marriage – whatever the cost.

Intrigued by Katherine's interference in his affairs, the manipulative Duke is soon fascinated. He engages in a daring deception and follows her back to her country home. Here, their intense connection shocks them both. But the Duke's games have dangerous consequences, and the potential to throw both their lives into chaos…

What worked for me (and what didn't): Have you ever had the experience of seeing something in your peripheral vision more clearly than when you look straight on?  I had that a few times when reading this book.  That sense of something just outside my grasp. 

While I had some problems with the story, there is also a lot to like. There is some lovely poetry in the writing.

This was the piano as she hadn’t even known it could be played – subdued passion that she was fairly sure wouldn’t be allowed in public. One melody tripped lightly ahead of the other, follow me. The second was slow; it would never catch the first but ran under it, as deep as an ocean.

She had never heard anything so beautiful.

There is also subtlety and cryptic phraseology from time to time.  There are multiple and carefully woven plot threads. A little here, a little there.  I felt, for most of the book, like I was playing a particularly elaborate game of cat's cradle - it had the potential to be anywhere on the scale from a beautiful and magnificent creation to a crazy tangled mess.

I'm over at AudioGals...

with a review of Every Breath You Take by Judith McNaught, narrated by Susan Denaker.

The narration saved the experience for me.  Come see why, here.

True by Erin McCarthy

Why I read it:  I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

What worked for me (and what didn't): I have mixed feelings about this book. There were parts of it that resonated with me, parts which infuriated me and all manner of things in between.  The writing is engaging and eminently readable.  On the other hand, I thought the characterisations were sometimes thin and some plot threads didn't really go anywhere.  I'm finding this one hard to grade, I hope to have reached a decision by the time I finish writing the review.