October Round-Up

Yes, I know, I know. I'm late. Also, once again I didn't read as much as I normally do. That, I can blame on two things: a certain time-travelling romance novel that took a hell of a long time to read, and this guy (Jensen Ackles):
Yup. A few months ago I decided to rent the first couple of discs of the first season of Supernatural just to see what all the fuss is about. Cut to now, where I've burned through five seasons to catch up with the sixth (now airing on the CW).

They say that, with Supernatural, you're either a Dean girl or a Sam girl - well, I'm a Dean girl. Who knew? I'm normally kind of annoyed by the Angsty Tormented Brooding heroes in romance fiction and yet Mr. Ackles' portrayal of Dean, a demon-hunter willing to go to any lengths (read: Hell) to protect his brother, is the core appeal of the series.

The only problem with now being caught up with season six is that now I have to wait a whole week for the next episode! Waaaaah.....

But hey, this is a book blog, not a Supernatural Superfan blog, so on with the books I read.

For Heroines, we got:

• 1 Leggy Linguist
• 1 Sheltered Innocent
• 1 Illiterate Commoner With a Secret Past
• 1 Time-Travelling War Nurse
• 1 Indecisive Bigamist
  

For Heroes, we got:

• 1 Perfectly Perfect in Every Way, Redheaded Virgin Outlawed Scottish Laird with a Heart of Gold
• 1 Brain-Damaged Duke
• 1 Unintentional Homewrecker
• 1 Jaded Rake
• 1 Almost Bigamist
• 1 Virile Ratcatcher
  

For Obstacles, we got:

• "I can't love him! Well, I can - so long as I can love this other dude, too. Hey! I have a solution! Why can't they both love me? At the same time, I mean? Who could object to that?"
  
• "I can't love her! She's too innocent, and I'm too tawdry and jaded in that terribly witty way that women find so appealing."
• "I can't love him! He catches rodents for a living and still manages to be smarter than me!"
  
• "I can't love him! I'm already married - and besides, he's way too pretty, virginal, honourable, well-liked, well-endowed, educated, and lion-hearted for my tastes. Uh, right?"
• "I can't love him! I'd make a terrible duchess!"

In Miscellaneous, we got:

• 1 Controversial Spanking
• 1 Hidden Ferret (Guess where!)
• 1 Parentage-Proving Locket
• Several Stolen Blackberries
• 1 Evil Witch
• 1 Epic Mustache
  

*October Pick* The Proposition, by Judith Ivory. A+
Pros: Sexiest hero I've read all year. Gorgeous writing. Nice sexual awakening for heroine.
Cons: Big Surprise at the end was a wee bit tacked on.

One Night For Love, by Mary Balogh. A
Pros: Tough conflict, realistically portrayed romantic rival, fantastic character arc for heroine.
Cons: Hero is a bit on the passive side.

Venetia, by Georgette Heyer. B+
Pros: Bubbly writing. Lively heroine. Dark, sympathetic rake hero.
Cons: Blather - and lots of it. Unnecessary family "twist" at the end.

Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon. B-
Pros: Good writing. Excellent setting detail. Well-drawn, wry heroine.
Cons: Scottish Messiah Jamie is a bit oversold. Founding member of the "This Book Is Too Damn Long" party.

*October Dud* A Hint of Wicked, by Jennifer Haymore. C+
Pros: Legitimately difficult conflict. One of the heroes isn't too bad.
Cons: The other hero is a dick - and he gets the girl. Also their child is probably the devil. Also there's no romantic development whatsoever.