Riley's Reviews

December 1st is World AIDS Day

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:23:26 GMT

Visit the official site

Click here for MSNBC coverage.

WAHOOO!!!!!!

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:19:48 GMT

My alter-ego just won (a day early no less) at NaNoWriMo!

That means the book reviews are coming back soon!!!! Yeah, I'm sure I was missed, haha. Anyway, like it or not, they'll be back. I still have a ton from before NaNo to get to. I may do 'em quick 'n dirty (oo-er), but I will rate and comment on them all.

Right now, I am reading the most excellent No Reservations by Megan Hart and Lauren Dane, the follow up to their Taking Care of Business, which I also adored (and is in the giant to-be-reviewed pile). I know I said I don't read during NaNo, but I had to cheat a little.

Next up, at least for at-home reading, will be my ARC of Lauren Dane's upcoming Coming Undone. I'm still gobsmacked that I won this, and I can't wait to dive into it.

What's everyone else out there been reading while I've been ~~torturing myself~~ writing?

Brag, Brag, Brag!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:49:29 GMT

I just won an ARC of the wonderful lauren_dane's January release, Coming Undone! Squeee! The book, along with some gorgeous bookmarks, arrived in my mail today, and I am dancing the Snoopy happy dance all over the place! The hardest part will be holding off on reading it until NaNo month is over...I may not be able to, I just won't be able to resist...

Anyway, when the time comes, I'm going to share the love. There will be a Coming Undone contest here around the release date, so watch this space! ;-)

Top Chef: Nah, Not "Too Vegas-y" At All...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:55:28 GMT

Am I remembering things wrong, or did someone on the judges' panel, like Tom or Padma, defend this season's location of Vegas by saying that they wouldn't be making the shows "too Vegas-y?"

And now they do an episode that has casino-themed dishes? Seriously?

Oh wait, before I talk about this episode, some passing observations on the "Reunion Dinner" thingy they gave us last week in lieu of a real episode:

1. Whoever in the episode said Marcel had matured clearly saw something I didn't. Look, I feel bad he got picked on in his season, and the others were asses to him, but he is immature. The way he got all defensive and rude with Fabio demonstrated that very well. Though it was interesting to see that he and Ilan did seem to be getting along better.

2. Fabio...poor guy. You know he was being forced to ask questions he didn't want to ask. He did it gracefully. Loved his "Daddy at the dinner table" (as Casey put it) speech.

3. That whole get-together concept was so puzzling, sort of like the forced "Wheee, aren't we all the bestest friends evah!" tone those stupid holiday shows on the Food Network have.

4. I still can't stand Richard Blais. His assholery on Top Chef: Masters ruined him for me.

5. Tiffani has definitely improved. Lisa seemed better too.

6. Still love Carla and Stefan.

Anyway, back to the real episode. First, the QF. Heh. I love the room service challenges -- the one from season one still makes me smile. This one did too, even though it was clearly staged -- like Padma and Nigella would be sharing a hotel room like that? Please. And I bet they were dressed under those robes too.

Oh man, the Fall of Jen continues. This is just depressing now. Who the hell who wants to win a challenge a, MAKES "shit on a shingle" and 2, TELLS the people who are judging you that the dish is called "shit on a shingle" anyway??? I'm a little surprised Eli won over Kevin. Kevin's dish looked more composed and sounded better too. At least immunity is off the table now.

Right, the EC. Casino themes, really, producers? Lame. Anyway, the dishes:

1. Jen had Excalibur, and she did a "Sword in the Stone" inspired dish that, sadly, failed. I'm really bummed to say it, but I don't think she'll be in the finale. I think she nailed her reason for failing though: she never really had a coherent idea. Tom was right in that she could have done better if she had strongly spiced her food to give it more of a medieval flair. Watching her downward spiral is just painful, b/c I like her so much. And oh yeah, guess what? My sis-in-law went to high school with her!

2. Michael had New York New York and he did...Buffalo wings. I know he won for his weirdo technique with the blue cheese disks (even though Toby didn't like them), but he does know Buffalo wings are called that b/c they originated in Buffalo, NY, right?

3. Kevin had Mirage, and though I liked his joke of saying he was going to give everyone a bowl of sand, I'm still trying to figure out how fish with Asian flavors and tomato water (hello, big trend this season) fits the theme of his casino. He said something about the slow food movement and stuff, but I don't get how that fits, either.

4. Bryan had Mandalay Bay and did something with sustainable fish. Honestly, I would have liked to have seen him win over his brother. His food seemed more refined and the theme worked better, IMO. But I'm not a judge, so oh well.

5. Robin had Bellagio and she did a failed panna cotta and failed sugar stained glass. This time she went home. Honestly, I would have preferred to see Eli go home for his dish, but at the same time I can understand being sent home for screwing up a basic like panna cotta. Not to mention this is the third time or so that she's tried something new-to-her in competition, which just isn't the place. But hey, it gave Nigella a chance to trot out one of her trademark food-as-sex remarks, this one something about the jiggle of a courtesan's thigh, heh.

6. Eli had Circus Circus and did something that, even though it had no meat in it, sounded totally disgusting. I'm with Nigella in not wanting to eat it. Cracked me up how she waited for everyone else to try theirs first. Again, this is a confusing case. The guest judge calls a cheftestant's food inedible, compares it to sawdust, and yet, Eli stayed. Just as in the Pigs & Pinot challenge, Dana Cowan called Laurine's dish cat food and she stayed.

That's why reading Tom's blog on Bravo's site can be a useful day-after activity -- he sheds light on these matters much of the time. He explained how he actually liked Eli's dish, though it could stand some improvement, whereas Robin failed to translate the theme she was trying to convey.

So tonight's ep is high-stakes all the way, and involves Thomas Keller somehow. Should be interesting, if I can stay awake!

If This Doesn't Piss You Off, You're Not Paying Attention

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:05:18 GMT

OK, folks, I read this story earlier today and just had to pass the word on. Check it out:

http://neadods.livejournal.com/906512.html

Add your 2 cents there, here, or post the story on your own pages.

Seriously, I don't know what angers me more: the general censorship issues, the fact that the library employee illegally accessed private information about a library patron, the fact that the same employee continually checked the book in question out herself to prevent anyone else from being "sullied" by it, the fact that the other library employee cancelled a hold, thereby allowing the other dillhole to keep checking the book out, the fact that they were even considering pouring tea on the book and ruining it if they thought that would keep it out of people's hands...AUGH! It's just all bad, all around.

For the umpteenth time, if you don't approve of a book, DON'T READ IT, but don't you DARE turn around and tell someone else they can't read it just because you don't think it's appropriate!!!!!!!!!!!! Gah!

Hex Appeal, Linda Wisdom

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:17:04 GMT

Sourcebooks, paranormal romance, September 2008
Connections: second in series, follows 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover

Linda Wisdom returns us to the wacky, wonderful world of witch Jazz Tremaine, her vampire lover Nick, her human housemate Krebs, her resident ghost Irma (who has obtained a slobbering ghost dog companion), and her sentient bunny slippers, Fluff and Puff. But all is now well in Jazz's world: first she gets awakened by the very real-feeling nightmare of Nick tearing her throat out, and then, as she runs home, her bunny slippers get accused of eating a were-weasel who works the boardwark carnival.

So now she has to track down both the source of her bad dreams and the real culprit behind the were-weasel's disappearance, all while balancing the rest of her life: Irma wanting new stuff all the time, Krebs wanting her approval of his latest girlfriend, her disgusting boss Dweezil wanting her help in his latest turf war...it's all in a day's work, but is it getting to be too much?

I like Jazz even better this time out -- she's less shallow, more vulnerable, more real. The unnecessary and condescending explanations of some things were, for the most part, gone (still, do you really need to explain what Father Knows Best was?!), which only improved the reading experience for me. Overall, I am really growing to enjoy Ms. Wisdom's creative world and the characters who live in it.

Books Bought in November (So Far...)

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:06:37 GMT

Despite the fact that I don't read much in November due to NaNoWriMo, I do still buy books (it's a sickness, I tell you!). Here's what I've bought so far this month:

*Anthology, Blood Lite (mass-market release)
*Elizabeth Hoyt, To Desire a Devil
*Shelly Laurenston, The Mane Event (mass-market release, thought I'd see what all the fuss is about since loads of Cafe folks seem to love her)
*Jeaniene Frost, One Foot in the Grave, At Grave's End, and Destined for an Early Grave
*Terri Garey, You're the One that I Haunt and Silent Night, Haunted Night (now I just need A Match Made in Hell)
*Gena Showalter, Seduce the Darkness
*Lori Foster, The Secret Life of Bryan (mass-market release)
*Opal Carew, Swing
*Julia Child, My Life in France

I'm reading Blood Lite now (I read anthos during NaNo), and I loved the first story by Kelley Armstrong, hated the second story with the heat of 1,000 suns, and really enjoyed the third story. That's how far along I am right now.

Top Chef Blather: My Favorite Challenge Evah!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:06:09 GMT

Great goddess, at long last, a fully vegetarian challenge! This one's gonna be a long one, so I'll use a cut.

But first, the QF. What a weird angle to take: TV dinners tied to specific TV shows, but then when cheftestants didn't explain what their food had to do with the show (I'm looking at you, Jen and both Mikes). Plus, I can't believe the people who say they never saw the shows in question. Robin, even hippie parents who didn't approve of TV approved of Sesame Street. Eli, I wasn't old enough to watch Gilligan's Island in its original run either, but syndicated repeats of it run riot, even today. Mike I., isolated pygmy tribes in deepest Africa are naming their kids Mulva, so don't give me that crap about Seinfeld -- I hated that show, and I still know about it.

At least Kevin and Bryan not only tied their dinners into their shows right, but they provided food that would work in a frozen dinner too. Either one of them could have taken it and I would have been happy.

Elimination...squeee!

Now, I missed a bit in here, but from the previews I knew two things: that they'd be cooking at Craftsteak, and that they'd be cooking for Natalie Portman. So I already knew the twist would be that NP's a vegetarian.

I have been a vegetarian myself for over 15 years, and it seriously chaps my ass the way these haute cuisine chefs always curl their lips as if they've trod in something smelly when they're asked to make a plate without meat. Chefs, your job is to prepare FOOD, not just meat, dammit.

Over on Bravo's website, I applaud Gail Simmons's blog for saying much the same thing, and surprisingly enough, Brian Malarkey's blog. Gail's talks about how vegetarians should be respected and Brian's talks about how vegetables should be honored. Check them out.

Oh Eli, you moron. "The only important films Natalie Portman has done are the Star Wars ones." Really, Eli, really? Are you really putting her down?

I spy an edit job! In the previews, they made Mike I. look totally spellbound by Natalie. I think that look was actually one of "oh shit" when being told they had to cook vegetarian.

Cheftestants, you got lucky. Other than no meat, there didn't seem to be any restrictions. Did you see the crap hand that got dealt to the Masters earlier this year with Zooey Deschanel? Still, bitch, bitch, bitch, when you've got some of the most gorgeous produce ever to work with. Tom and his crew clearly know how to honor vegetables as well as steak in his house.

Did anyone else hear the Loser Music of Doom playing for Jen? I don't know why she kept deciding she had to do different produce than other people, and each time she switched, she came up the poorer for it. She made lasagne before, why not do it again? An eggplant lasagne would have been wonderful...or ravioli, if she didn't want to be known as The Girl Who Makes Lasagne.

I'm honestly not sure why Mike I. was so set on serving leeks to look like scallops. If he was serving meat-eaters in an illusion meal challenge like the one the Masters did, then sure. But vegetarians do not need their vegetables to resemble animal proteins. We just don't. And those leeks? Looked awful. I can't imagine anything more gross than a boiled onion, especially if it was still raw inside. Plus, he stood by that piece of crap. I loved how Gail had to ask him, "You do realize that leeks aren't a protein, right?" 'Cause he really wasn't being clear in presenting his vision. Loved how later she said to the other judges incredulously that Mike's so obnoxious he thinks he can't go home for this. Ha, joke's on you.

Incidentally, the Washington Post published a reader-driven Q&A with Mike. He claims the sexist remarks were out of context jokes. Maybe he did get this season's Asshole Edit, but you know what? "Whatever, whatever," Mike, it was definitely your time to go. Oh, and he also says Padma is a mega-bitch. Wowsers.

Robin's dish was all over the place. I'm still not sure what it was supposed to be. Not surprised she was on the bottom, but also not surprised that she got saved. Once again, someone else committed a worse culinary sin than she did.

I have to agree with the TWOP recapper: were the judges all drunk or high at that dinner party? Poor Bryan. They were so busy cracking penis/blow job jokes about the garlic blossoms that no one said anything else about his dish! And the high suspicions increased with NP's remark to Mike Volt of "Who is your dealer and does he need new customers?" with regard to his crazy banana polenta.

During Restaurant Wars, I wasn't sure why everyone was ragging on Mike Volt for assholery, but this week? Oh, this week I see it. Oh, those grapes at Kevin's win, they were sour! While I didn't agree with some of Kevin's statements about vegetarianism, he definitely put out a plate of food I would eat. Not that I wouldn't try Mike Volt's, but you should never discount simplicity and letting the food speak for itself.

So yay for Kevin! If my girl Jen doesn't rally, he's my pick for the win. But I hope Jen rallies. And I hope Robin leaves next. Really, it's only sheer luck that she's still there.

There, I think I covered everything...this week's is some oddly put together reunion show...I saw Marcel and Harold in the previews, and draaa-ma, of course. We'll see what happens with that!

BTW, is anyone else watching Tabatha's Salon Takeover? I am strangely addicted!

Book Count: October 2009

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:47:08 GMT

Grand total of 10 this month, not a true stinker in the bunch, and one truly stellar find:

Julie Powell, Julie & Julia (4)
Gennita Low, Virtually Hers (4)
Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan, Beyond Heaving Bosoms (3.5)
Jayne Ann Krentz, Perfect Partners (re-read)
Linda Wisdom, Hex Appeal (3.5)
Lara Adrian, Ashes of Midnight (3)
Gena Showalter, Awaken Me Darkly (3)
Jeaniene Frost, Halfway to the Grave (5)
Terri Garey, Dead Girls Are Easy (4)
Gareth Roberts, Doctor Who: Only Human (still reading)

Top Chef Blather: Restaurant Wars!

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:09:08 GMT

Good goddess, I can't believe I didn't write about Restaurant Wars yet!

First of all, that QF challege was awesome! I loved the idea of a relay, and then to top it off by blindfolding the team members in waiting? That was a neat twist. I felt bad for Jen, accidentally calling the fish the wrong thing, first of all to a fish guy and second of all on national TV. Maybe she was still "off" from being sick, I thought...and how right I would prove to be later...

EC! First off, team Mission:

Jen had quite the dilemma there, in whether or not to split the Volt boys up. Maybe she should have, in hindsight, although on the other hand, I think the way she and Kevin organized the cooking for team Mission was lopsided and doomed. I'm surprised, given her role at 10 Arts and the way she organized the hell out of the Air Force challenge, that Jen wasn't more on top of things this time. Honestly, I'm shocked she wasn't the one sent home. I was sure she would be when Tom commented "Her mentor would not be proud of her tonight." Ouch.

As I said, I think the lopsided planning of Jen and Kevin doing 2 dishes each and simultaneously is what screwed this team. Mike I. did 2 dishes too, but he did them and then basically said, "I'm done, I can go home." Maybe he helped out the others, but it wasn't really shown. Laurine really was too tentative and quiet a personality for front of house. I hate to say it, but they should have sent Mike I. out there.

I really was scared that Jen would be sent home, but I guess when it comes to flaws, bad service combined with a bad dish trumps 2 bad dishes. Whew. Now I just hope Jen kicks herself back into gear for the rest of the contest.

Team REVolt:

Ugh, what a name. Even if your brain doesn't immediately go to "revolting," I didn't see what they did that was so revolutionary, either. Everyone on the blogs was so down on Mike Volt for being an ass in the kitchen, and maybe he was, but you know what? He was also on top of things the way I kept wishing Jen would have been for Mission. I am surprised Robin got her back up so vehemently, though -- I suspect there was a lot more to this conflict that we weren't shown.

Overall, I wasn't hating on anyone this week, not even the obnoxious boys, Mike I. and Eli. I was incredibly disappointed in both Jen and Kevin, but I'm hoping they'll redeem themselves this week. There IS a new ep this week, isn't there? I'm going to be so miffed if there isn't? Oh, who am I kidding? I'll probably be thrilled to go to bed early, LOL.

Treehugging PSA of the Day: Protect America's Wildlife Act

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:10:11 GMT

Aerial Gunning: A Brutal Policy

Alaska is the only state that allows private hunters to participate in the cruel and barbaric practice of aerial gunning of wolves. Alaskan wolves can be shot from airplanes -- or chased to the point of exhaustion, then shot at close range. Across large areas of Alaska, no wolf is off limits -- not even pregnant females. More than 1,000 wolves have been killed, with plans to target hundreds more in the coming years and open up new areas to aerial control.

Help End Aerial Wolf Killing: Urge Your Representative and Senators to Co-Sponsor the PAW Act

So far, more than 1,000 wolves have been chased down by gunmen in low-flying aircraft and killed with high-powered rifles. This year alone, more than 250 wolves have been killed -- making the 2008/2009 aerial wolf killing season one of the deadliest in years.

Congressman George Miller and Senator Dianne Feinstein have introduced the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act, federal legislation to end the controversial practice of using aircraft and gunmen to chase and kill wolves in Alaska. Will you urge your representative and senators to help get the PAW Act passed into law?

Click here for more information and an easy-access form to write your representatives and senators to support the PAW Act.

Ashes of Midnight, Lara Adrian

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:55:41 GMT

Dell, paranormal romance, May 2009
Connections: book #6 in the Midnight Breed series

For this book, we step outside the Order (at least for the main characters): our hero is Andreas Reichen, leader of the Berlin Darkhaven that was destroyed by the bad guys in the prior book. Andreas was presumed dead along with the rest of his family and community, but no one realized the talent he inherited from his Breedmate mother saved him -- like a phoenix rising from the flames, he survived, and has been wreaking vengeance, one bad guy, one crooked Agency employee, at a time ever since.

Now, only one remains: Wilhelm Roth, the mastermind of the entire plot to destroy Andreas and his Darkhaven. Roth is also the Breed who stole the woman who should have been Andreas's thirty years before. Claire, Roth's Breedmate and Andreas's former lover, is the only link Andreas has to Roth -- her blood links her directly to Roth, but is Andreas still honorable enough not to exploit that link? Things get even more complicated when it becomes apparent that Roth is in league with Dragos, the Big Bad that the Order has been tracking over the entire series.

The pathos of Andreas's past plays out well alongside the action of chasing Roth and Dragos, though Andreas gets a little too self-pitying and self-sacrificial for my taste after a while. Claire elicits sympathy, though, especially for the degree to which she's willing to protect or chase down and stay with Andreas once she knows he's alive.

There is, however, one gaping plot hole that drove me batty from the moment I detected it (behind a cut for spoilers): As mates, Claire and Roth can feel each other through their blood bond. It's the reason Claire runs once they get to Boston, b/c she realizes Roth is there and doesn't want to tell Andreas, or have Roth track her and find Andreas. OK, I get that. But Roth knows Claire is near too. How come, instead of setting a trap for the Order, he and Dragos didn't take the time to track Claire through the blood bond, find the Order's HQ, and use their fancy Gen One assassin clones to wipe out the Order and the compound in one fell swoop? The lack of explanation, and the lack of concern on behalf of the members of the Order that Claire's blood could lead Roth and Dragos right to them, irked the living hell out of me.

Overall, this was a decent entry in the series -- good couple dynamics and a nice advancement of the overall Big Bad arc. I'm still committed to the series.

Bending the Rules, Susan Andersen

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:32:47 GMT

HQN, contemporary romance, July 2009
Connections: Second in the Girlfriends trilogy, follows Cutting Loose

With this delightful and sizzling story, Susan Andersen returns us to the world of the three best friends -- Jane, Poppy, and Ava -- who have inherited a historic mansion and all its contents from their childhood mentor and inspiration. This time, it's artist, teacher, and "bleeding heart" Poppy at center stage, and she's going toe-to-toe with Detective Jason de Sanges over some teens caught vandalizing local businesses with graffiti. She wants the kids to help paint a mural on the wall they defaced, but Jase sees this as reward rather than a safe outlet for their creativity. The two figuratively strike sparks off each other, both in their arguments over the kids and in some truly spectacular sexual chemistry.

Jase is a fascinating hero -- it's like he doesn't believe redemption is possible, even for himself. Though he's so clearly not like the other men in his family, he still thinks he could slip up at any time. Poppy, with all her openness, acceptance, and intolerance for bullshit, really is his perfect match. I adore this couple -- they're the poster children for opposites attracting.

I really enjoyed both books in the Girlfriends series and am bitterly disappointed in HQN for their decision to not publish Ava's story. I live in hope that someday we readers will get that story, but in the meantime, enjoy Poppy and Jase's story, because it's worth it.

New Books!

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:22:02 GMT

Even the shittiest day can be brightened by the arrival of a box of books on the doorstep (even the UPS guy does ring the doorbell and cause the dogs to go berserk)!

Anyhoo, here's the latest in the TBR:

Anthologies (which are great for me to read during NaNoWriMo, and y'all know my weakness for holiday anthos!): Never After, Unbound, Santa Honey, and To All a Good Night

Linda Wisdom, Hex in High Heels

Kathryn Smith, When Seducing a Duke (I emitted the happiest squeee when I saw KS was back to doing historicals again!)

Christine Warren, Big Bad Wolf

Jennifer Armintrout, Queene of Light

Lorelei James, Rode Hard, Put Up Wet

Top Chef Blather: Poor Robin

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:57:05 GMT

No, I mean it. She may not be top chef finalist material, but I feel bad for that woman. No one likes her, and to make it even worse, she knows it. That has to suck.

In every living situation, there's someone who drives you insane. Robin just happens to be the target on this season's Top Chef, apparently for her incessant chatter. Funny, I'd love to see how season 2's Betty would fare with this crowd...

Anyway, from some, like my hometown girl (and still my favorite) Jen, it's obvious it's the chatter, but that's it. For others, it's clear they can't draw a line between the chatter and the contest itself. Yes, I'm looking at you, Still Lives With His Parents Eli, who's apparently decided to take everything Robin-related personally and blow it way out of proportion. Or Jackass Mike I., who called her an old lady in the first episode and just called her "Grandma" last night, saying when she left the room with the bottom tier, that "the judges better make the right decision this time and send Grandma home." Ouch.

Thing is, I don't think Robin has what it takes to take the title, but each week, someone else screws up bigger than her. It's a reflection of the maturity level of the other cheftestants if they can see past the personality to the skills, or to honestly see the mistakes someone they like better made. Eli and Mike I. both have a lot of growing up to do. Being kicked in the nads might be a great learning experience too. I'd enjoy it, at any rate. I'm just sayin'.

Before I leave this topic and move on to the actual food, I have to say I love how the others give Eli grief over his Robin obsession as well. The Volt boys saying "and then you had sex with her" when he was bitching about the cutting board incident was priceless. Hee.

OK, food. First off, seems a little unfair that a former boss of 2 cheftestants shows up as a guest judge, but I think this has happened in the past too, so whatever.

QF: poor Jen and her doomed pork chops. But at least she ended up on the top again in the EC, even if she didn't win the whole thing. Sidebar: how long did Toby Young stay up the night before the challenge to dream up that gawdawful armpit analogy, do you think? And who could have imagined, seeing it on the previews, that he was saying it about a good dish?! I think those 4 -- Jen, Kevin, and the Volt boys -- are the finalists. I'll be very surprised if they're not.

Was Charlie Palmer's sole role in the EC to say whether or not a dish paired well with the wine? Everyone else was making effusive -- or icky -- comments about the food, and there he stood saying, "Plus, it pairs well with the wine," or "Plus, it doesn't pair well with the wine at all." I got some smug satisfaction in Eli's not pairing well, given his cockiness over his QF win and his comments about other people's wine selections.

Was not at all surprised by the bottom 3, but I was surprised, based on the comments, the choice to knife Ash over Laurine. Though I honestly can't say I blame them. Although judging is only on that night's dish, Ash consistently ended up on the bottom, then would say "I know what I did wrong and I can do better." How many times can you get away with saying that before the judges call bullshit, really? But on the other hand, you have the Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine magazine saying Laurine's dish tasted like cat food. Compared to Ash and Laurine, there was no way Robin was going home this week. As I said, I'm surprised it wasn't Laurine, but according to Tom Colicchio's blog this week, Laurine, even though she later demonstrated that she really had no idea how to make a real rillette, her dish had flavor, whereas Ash's did not.

I'm as guilty as the cheftestants I beat up at the start of today's narrative, b/c I'm sorry to see Ash go, simply b/c I liked his personality. Joke's on me, apparently. Though I will say that as much as I can't stand Eli or Mike I.'s personalities, I don't like their cooking either. Eli may have some good ideas, but at 25 he's still too green to take it all the way, and he lets his cockiness take over and trip him up, as evidenced in last night's episode. Mike I., well, he rides the Volts' coattails, mispronounces "gyro" and seems to over-salt everything. So I'm justified on those scores.

Next week: Restaurant Wars, all riiight!!!!

Wed Him Before You Bed Him, Sabrina Jeffries

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:34:08 GMT

Pocket, historical romance, July 2009
Connections: final installment in School for Heiresses series

Forget the heiress students, in this installment, readers finally get the story of headmistress Charlotte Harris and her mysterious benefactor, "Cousin Michael," whose missives have graced the openings of every chapter in each preceding book. Fortunately, Ms. Jeffries doesn't hide Michael's real identity from readers for very long in this book, and I'm smugly pleased that I guessed correctly as to who he really is. Reasoning and blather behind the cut...at first, I thought he would be Lord Stoneville, as one of the only single lords left in the series, but that was before Kirkwood's flighty and unsuitable wife died near the end of Don't Bargain with the Devil, and I knew that had to be A Significant Event, so I changed my guess and lo and behold, I was right, ha!...so the fun is watching David, Lord Kirkwood, try to keep it from Charlotte -- well, at least until he can present his case in the most advantageous light!

It's quite an intricate plot wherein David invented "Cousin Michael" as a form of revenge, but his plan backfired, because he ended up falling back in love with Charlotte, his first love, all over again, and now his house of cards is about to come down on his head. Charlotte herself is an intriguing contradiction -- so prim and proper with her "girls," and yet with such a streak of unrestrained wildness to her as well.

Their story is the Big Misunderstanding done right, set up in such a way that they can't really talk to each other about it -- at least not back in the day, and now, they're too proud or scared to do so, almost until it's too late. The interesting thing is it's a situation where I felt sympathy for both parties. Usually with this sort of plot I want to smack one or both of the people involved, but not this time. David was left humiliated with no idea why, while Charlotte was heartbroken and chose a very dismal fate for herself rather than endure what she thought would be a "ton marriage." It's bittersweet to the extreme.

Maybe it's because I'm getting older and so identify with characters more my age than those right out of the schoolroom, or maybe it was the huge buildup to Charlotte and David's story and the fact that Ms. Jeffries definitely didn't let readers down, but this was my favorite of all the books in the series, with mature love that stands a much better chance for happily-ever-after because it's stronger and better the second time around.

Obsidian Prey, Jayne Castle

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:55:33 GMT

Jove, paranormal romance, August 2009
Connections: set on Harmony, but stands alone nicely

Lyra Dore is an amber "tuner" and prospector with a grudge. Cruz Sweetwater and his family company, Amber Inc., stole her claim of a magnificent amethyst amber ruin in the underground rainforests of Harmony. That was three months and a very expensive lawsuit ago. Now Cruz is back, claiming that he not only needs her professional help, but also that on a personal level, they are meant to be together.

Honestly, Castle/Krentz/Quick books are comfort reads to me, and not much more. If I ever found something new and earthshattering in one, I'd really be shocked, but being classified as a comfort read isn't a bad thing, either. They're fairly interchangeable but nevertheless enjoyable and entertaining in general, not to mention re-readable years later (as proven in my recent Krentz marathon).

What stood out to me as fun in this book was Vincent, the painting dust bunny, and the running joke among the Sweetwaters that Lyra broke Cruz's heart. What bugged me is that all stones, no matter what color they are, are considered amber -- that's hard to wrap my head around, since here on Earth, amber is essentially petrified tree sap and amethyst is a form of quartz rock. But hey, I guess on Harmony, amber is similar to how all carbonated beverages in the southern US on Earth are "Coke" even when you order a 7-Up. Another thing that's a little confusing is the intertwining of the Arcane Society through the Quick historicals, Krentz contemporaries, and Castle futuristics -- with the publication schedules for paperbacks, one can get confused with all the references if one hasn't read the referenced books yet.

Still, I quite like the world of Harmony, and someday, I'll do a marathon re-read, and this book will be a part of that.

Laid Bare, Lauren Dane

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:25:02 GMT

Berkley Heat, erotic romance, August 2009

A decade ago, free-spirited rocker chick Erin Brown had a scorching affair with seemingly straitlaced cop Todd Keenan, but they went their separate ways when Todd couldn't handle his part of their sexual power exchange. Now in the present day, they meet again, both scarred (literally and emotionally) by events in the intervening years.

This time around, though, Todd is more confident and sure of his sexuality, even when his best friend Ben enters his relationship with Erin on an intimate level. But is his new-found confidence enough to tie him, Erin, and Ben together for good, especially in the face of Erin's past and their various families?

I really enjoyed this book. I could not put it down, but at the same time was trying to force myself to read slowly so that it wouldn't end too soon. I loved that Erin was a straight-up, in-your-face kind of woman, sure of who she was and what she wanted, but at the same time, she was emotional and vulnerable. So few authors give their characters both sides of the coin, and I love that Ms. Dane recognizes that even kick-ass females aren't completely invulnerable. Erin certainly isn't. Her emotional turmoil was heartwrenching and her eventual trust in a new life filled with happiness -- happiness she's allowed to have -- was great to watch.

The relationships and power exchanges were tremendously realistic and satisfying. The sex was, of course, off-the-charts hot and chock-full of chemistry. And how decadent that while Todd and Ben were all about lavishing Erin with pleasure, they weren't phobic about each other, either. Good stuff.

If I have one quibble, it's with the practicality of a permanent, formal menage. I've talked about this before with other books. Somehow, for me as a reader, it just seems to work better in a futuristic or some otherworldly setting. When set in our contemporary world, I end up getting caught up in the what-if type questions. That said, it did seem like Todd, Erin, and Ben had a good handle on things, and maybe if more was done with that angle, I'd feel better myself. Having said that, I know Ms. Dane has other books planned for this setting, so maybe I'll be getting my wish in the future. My quibble definitely wasn't enough to put me off; this book is going -- and staying -- on my keeper shelf.

1/2

Virtually Hers, Gennita Low

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:32:57 GMT

Samhain, romantic suspense, October 2009
Connections: second in trilogy

First of all, a big fat THANK YOU to Samhain Publishing for picking up Gennita Low's contract on these books. You're not going to regret it, because she rocks!

A quick word of advice to GLow fans: because Virtually Hers picks up where Virtually His left off and it's been 2 years, it might be good to re-read VHis first, just to refresh your memory on the remote viewing programs and such, before embarking on the new adventures of Hell and Hades.

When last we left Helen "Hell" Roston, she had just done two hugely important things: she remote-viewed spontaneously without the aid of devices or her mysterious and seductive monitor, Hades, and through said remote-viewing, learned the identity of Hades. Now the trick is getting super-slick Jed McNeil to admit his role as Hades, and what results is a deviously seductive game of cat and mouse between the two super spies.

Personal games aside, Jed and Helen still have a mission to complete: locating missing weapons before a rival team, who apparently also have a remote viewer, does. And when Helen and one of the other COMCEN team members who can remote-view, Armando, have a close encounter on the "psychic plane" (for lack of a better word) with the rival team's remote viewer right there in COMCEN HQ, the whole team realizes that things are far more deadly than originally thought. And when Helen and Jed, as Hell and Hades, trace the invasion back to its source, Jed discovers it's far more personal too.

But before we can find out why, we're given one hell of a cliffhanger -- when is Virtually One coming out, anyway?!

I thoroughly enjoyed this second foray into the secret world of remote viewing. The plot was well-drawn, and by virtue of having read VHis first, I was entrenched in the lingo for this go-round. The commandos of COMCEN are great fun, and it was terrific to see them all again. But the centerpiece, of course, was the growing relationship between Hell and Hades.

Ms. Low expertly built the layers of interaction between Helen and Jed, giving them identities and interactions as Hell and Hades, Helen and Number Nine, and Elena and Jed, and making them functional on every level. The three levels might not fully mesh yet, but readers can see how they will, and the fun will be watching the characters get there.

Virtually His, Gennita Low

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:14:05 GMT

Mira, romantic suspense, 2007
Connections: first in trilogy

I saved this book to read until the other two books in the set, Virtually Hers and Virtually One came out. Little did I know that I was going to have such a long, long wait! But, at long last, Samhain is releasing Virtually Hers this week, so I finally got around to re-entering the wonderfully complex world of Gennita Low with Virtually His.

I'm glad I saved the book to read together with the newer ones so that events would be fresh in my head. This isn't just romantic suspense, it's military romantic suspense, and it's filled with secret ops and acronyms and shadow organizations. Not only that, but it's military romantic suspense dealing with a special ops program about remote viewing in virtual reality -- aka, spying with the mind on the psychic plane -- so there were a ton of technical details to learn as well. Honestly, it was hard to keep straight at times...and still, I enjoyed the hell out of myself (pun intended).

Why? In short, the heroine, Helen/Elena/Hell Roston was just so damn much fun! She was both a kick-ass heroine and vulnerable. She surpassed every other candidate put forth by every other covert agency to win the position as the remote-viewing super soldier spy...and yet, inside the world of virtual reality, she is both in control of what she is seeing, but completely under the control of "Hades," her maddeningly mysterious and seductive monitor.

I had the unusual perspective of already knowing who Hades was, but such is the cleverness of Ms. Low's writing, that even I got lost in Hell's perspective of frustrated lack of knowledge from time to time. And when I did remember, all I could do was grin over how well-matched Hell and Hades were. A few scenes made me a bit squeamish as they had Hell under her monitor's complete control in every sense of the word, but at the same time, I have ever faith that Hell will give as good as she gets at some point in the coming books, and I can't wait to find out.

1/2

Treehugging PSA: Save Roadless America

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:18:15 GMT

The State of Colorado and powerful special interests are trying to open up 4.4 million acres of pristine national forest lands in the Rockies to new coal mines and oil and gas drilling that could spell disaster for the wildlife that lives there. Take action to ask the Obama administration to save these special places at: http://action.defenders.org/saveroadlessamerica

Banned Books Week 2009

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:16:55 GMT

First of all, big thanks to lauren_dane, without whom I would have completely forgotten it was Banned Books Week! You rock! Oh, and she's running a contest thru tomorrow (9/30) to win 2 books at her blog, so go enter!

In this country, we take our freedom seriously. But that doesn't mean select groups of closed-minded idiots won't try to stop others from reading books they themselves object to for whatever trumped-up reason they come up with (I swear half the time these book-banning types haven't even read the books they find so objectionable...). It's a pity that closed minds don't come with closed mouths, but here are some great resources and ideas for schools, libraries, and even individuals who want to celebrate their freedom.

Some lists you might find interesting:

The top 100 novels of the 20th Century, at least 42 of which have been challenged

Most frequently challenged books of the past decade

10 most challenged books of 2008

So celebrate your freedom this week -- read a banned book!

What I've Been Reading & New Books

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:37:59 GMT

Wow, I haven't done a book count since June...so here goes:

July 2009

Marsha Altman, The Plight of the Darcy Brothers (4.5)
Rhyannon Byrd, Edge of Hunger (3), Edge of Danger (2)
Sabrina Jeffries, Wed Him Before You Bed Him (5)
Kelley Armstrong, Personal Demon (4)
Emma Holly, Breaking Midnight (4.5), Saving Midnight (4)
Susan Andersen, Bending the Rules (5)

August 2009

Rachel Caine, Cape Storm (3.5)
Lauren Dane, Laid Bare (4.5)
JD Robb, Promises in Death (5)
Eileen Wilks, Mortal Sins (5)
Patti O'Shea, Edge of Dawn (4.5)
Megan Hart & Lauren Dane, Taking Care of Business (5)
Patricia Briggs, Hunting Ground (5)
Jennifer Crusie re-reads, Anyone But You, Strange Bedpersons, Bet Me, Fast Women, Faking It

September 2009 (why not? the month's almost over!)

Gena Showalter, The Darkest Whisper (4.5)
Bella Andre, Tempt Me, Taste Me, Touch Me (3)
Jayne Castle, Obsidian Prey (4)
Gennita Low, Virtually His (3.5)
Jayne Ann Krentz re-reads, Grand Passion, Hidden Talents, Family Man, Trust Me, Deep Waters, Absolutely Positively, Silver Linings

All the above books that don't yet have reviews, will. I swear.

Arriving on my doorstep today, according to UPS tracking

Lisa Kleypas, Tempt Me at Twilight
Liz Carlyle, Wicked All Day
Maya Banks, Sweet Persuasion
Alyssa Brooks, Come and Get Me
Saskia Walker, Double Dare

Top Chef: From France's Best to the Desert...Seriously?

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:50:46 GMT

A two-fer commentary, and I find it highly amusing and strange that we go from the heights of culinary ecstasy to the depths of challenge despair in just two episodes.

First up, the French chefs episode.

And first up with that, wow, a reverse high-stakes QF – loser goes home! I do think the right cheftestant went home. Jesse has consistently failed to impress the judges, and well, sorry, but those piercings do not scream sanitary cooking conditions to me. But that's just me. I do believe her when she says she wasn't at her best on the show, having seen some of the masters get tripped up too.

And the second part of the high-stakedness of the QF: Kevin not only doesn't have to cook for a panel of French chefs that Tom admits he's intimidated just *eating* with, but he gets to eat with them too? Lucky him! Very, very, very glad Mike I. didn't win.

Elimination: pairing sauces and proteins. Interesting that they're keeping it simple for such a star-studded judging panel. Then again, the simplest things can also be the easiest to screw up (MATTIN).

Speaking of Mattin, French or not, birthday or not, what kind of idiot goes and gets completely snockered the night before a huge challenge? For that alone, I wish they'd spanked his ass and sent him packing. I'm wondering if he was too hungover to remember his argument about the asparagus in the grocery store with Ashley? Cracked up at Tom's comment, "Not everything is better with bacon." Heh. That said, it was kind of cute to see him jumping up and down and speaking in French when introducing their dish.

As for Ashley, I wish she had defended herself more at the table, but Daniel Boulud did nail it when he said she was partnered with a Frenchman, and therefore decided to take a backseat.

All I can say for team poisson/veloute is they are damn lucky Hector can't cook beef to save his life. In the first episode he deep-friend a steak for Wolfgang Puck. This time around, he screwed up chateaubriand, something that didn't sound that hard to make, the way everyone was talking.

And so, finally, they send a boy packing.

Again, it comes down to the brothers. Again, Mike I. is riding on a Voltaggio coattail. At least the judges seemed to recognize that, and didn't name him the outright winner. Why do I get the feeling the finale might be a brother vs. brother thing?

Did anyone else think it was strange that Joel Robuchon had to have a translator? Call it me being an arrogant American if you like, but I thought this was odd. Not wrong, just quirky/weird.

So from the heights of gastronomy we go to Tim Love and cooking with cactus and in untenable heat and apparently unsanitary conditions, so much so that even the judges were bitching about the heat. WTF, producers?

When Mike I. won the cactus QF, I died a little inside. In fact, I'm convinced that every time an asshat like him succeeds, God kills a kitten.

Producers, it's bad enough you made the cheftestants COOK out in the middle of nowhere in the desert, but why did you make them sleep out there too, with all their food and supplies, giving it more of a chance to go bad? It's times like this I miss LeeAnn's blog – does anyone know if she still does the behind-the-scenes blog? 'Cause I haven't seen it yet. I'd love to know the reasoning behind this move, b/c if something went bad, the cheftestant in question would be officially SOL.

As, I believe, Robin was with her shrimp. Though it did look like she also had chorizo, so why didn't she axe the shrimp and just serve the sausage I have no idea. Again. she survived on the dumb luck that Mattin and Ron both prepared ceviche (I'm still waiting for someone to yell "It's Top Chef! Not Top Ceviche!") in the middle of the freakin' desert. And you had to know that Tom wasn't doing a patented Padma drama queen when he spit out Mattin's ceviche, so you knew he was getting knifed at the end. No surprises there.

I have to question the authenticity of Mike I.'s supposed Greek heritage, since he can't say "gyro."

Again with the brothers and the win -- I wonder if the others are sick of that by now? I have to say, though, I was pleased to see Laurine in the winners' circle for once – sort of justifies her continues presence on the show.

I'm still rooting for Jen, my hometown girl -- the teasers for the next ep don't make things look good for her, but you never know. I still say she has what it takes to take the title from all those egotistical boys.

Darcy Talk with Author Marsha Altman!

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:44:04 GMT

Hello, All! Today, I'm thrilled to give you a little Q&A I had recently with Marsha Altman, author of the super-wonderful The Darcys and the Bingleys and its equally delightful follow-up, this year's The Plight of the Darcy Brothers.

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What were the easiest and the hardest part about taking Austen's cast and making it your own?

Easiest part - Mr. Bennet's dialogue. He always says something incredibly witty. Either you can do it or you can't. It's easy to look at a line I've written for Mr. Bennet and say, "Okay, that's his voice" or "This isn't Mr. Bennet." It's one or the other.

Hardest part - Making Caroline Bingley sympathetic without inherently changing her character. She doesn't learn a lesson from Pride and Prejudice and become an altruistic person. I had to give her good qualities that were not apparent in the events of Pride and Prejudice but come out and develop further when she falls in love.

OK, so you've written your first sequel – how did you decide where to take it after that, especially since the direction of The Plight of the Darcy Brothers is a tad more scandalous than The Darcys and the Bingleys?

Naturally there were some things leftover from book 1 - Two Bennet sisters and Georgiana Darcy left unmarried, Caroline Bingley married but without a kid yet, Brian Maddox disappearing into the darkness - that had to be covered in book 2 (or in Georgiana's case, book 3). From there it grew. I really wanted to do something about the Darcy family history, which wasn't something to bring up in book 1 with so much going on. I view each book as a natural expansion of the previous one in the ongoing lives of the characters. And since the characters are all still standing, for the most part, their lives go on.

Tell us a bit about your own characters into the books – is it easier or harder than dealing with established fictional characters?

In this case, harder, because you have to make the readers care as much about the new characters as they do about Austen's characters, and people really love Austen's characters, well beyond the norm for non-Austen literature. Some people view new characters as a distraction from the characters we care about - even me, reading some fanfic or published sequels where the new characters are too perfect or evil or just don't "click" and it's hard to make me care about them, or even want to see them on screen. There's a particularly high bar for me to introduce characters, who must be nuanced and interesting and yet not detract at all from the Austen characters because they have to share the spotlight.

Take Dr. Maddox, who was the first real new character I introduced and intended to be a major character. I really sweated over him. He mainly grew as a contrast to Darcy on the surface, as Caroline marrying a rich guy would be too boring. She was in love (to some extent) with Darcy. On the surface Dr. Maddox isn't Darcy - he's poor, his family is in disgrace, he's shy, he's nervous and fidgety, he works for a living, and he's partially blind. So, he's unexpected. Below, he has a lot of the same qualities - he's loyal, he's stubborn about the things he believes in, he's of noble birth (he's the nephew of an earl, as Darcy is), and he's willing to do anything for a woman he's fallen in love with. Caroline is the first to discover those qualities through her interactions with him based on Italian practice and falls in love with him. Caroline shows sophistication that she initially doesn't know she's showing by responding to his inner qualities, which mirror Darcy's, but he remains his own character. I think readers responded well to that, and were more likely to be interested in what happens to him in the second book.

Do you have any plans for more stories in this series, or sequels to other Austen books?

Nope, all Pride and Prejudice. A lot of Pride and Prejudice.

*********************

So there you have it, folks! For those of you who have read the books, hooray, there's more to come! For those of you who haven't, well, what the heck are you waiting for?!