Review: Good Girls Don't- Victoria Dahl

Series: Donovan Brothers Brewery 1
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pages:  384 (ebook)
Published: August 30th 2011
Publisher: HQN
Source: netgalley

With her long ponytail and sparkling green eyes, Tessa Donovan looks more like the girl next door than a businesswoman—or a heartbreaker. Which may explain why Detective Luke Asher barely notices her when he arrives to investigate a break–in at her family's brewery. He's got his own problems—starting with the fact that his partner, Simone, is pregnant and everyone thinks he's the father.
Tessa has her hands full, too. Her brother's playboy ways may be threatening the business, and the tension could tear her tight–knit family apart. In fact, the only thing that could unite the Donovan boys is seeing a man come after their "baby" sister. Especially a man like Luke Asher. But Tessa sees past the rumors to the man beneath. He's not who people think he is—and neither is she.

My thoughts

This is the first book in a trilogy about 3 siblings who own a brewery. First up is Tessa who is the peacekeeper between her two older brothers. She tries her best to keep the wrath of the good one of the playboy brother. But this book is not about them, they will have their spotlight later on.

Tessa is a good girl, she works hard and she is good at hiding things from her brothers. Most importantly that she dates. Oh those brothers think that their sister never even looks at men. But then they are very protective and I can’t fault them for that quality. Still they sure do not want her to date Luke Dasher as he has a bad rep. But this bad boy cop is not a bad boy after all when we get to know him more. He has had it rough.

The story is about these two trying to get close, but there is that reputation in the way, and her brothers. But that will not stop these two from getting a little passion in their lives. There is also the story about who robbed the brewery.

Sure the book was good but at times I just do not know. It felt like there was something missing. Perhaps it could have been a tad funnier. I just do not know why I did not like it more. Because I still enjoyed the book. It was a nice story about a two people falling in lust and love. I also liked her brothers, even the good boring one, I actually liked him more. He had to grow up so fast and take care of his sister and brother when their parents died.

Conclusion:
If you like her other books then I am sure you will like this new series too.

Rating:
Ok

Cover:

Review. Death by honeymoon - Jaden Skye

Series: Caribbean Murder series, #1
Genre: mystery
Pages: 220
Published: April 2011
Source: for review
Review by Lis

Cindy and Clint are enjoying their dream honeymoon, when paradise quickly turns into hell. Cindy finds her newly beloved taken away from her, drowned in a freak accident in the ocean. The local police are quick to declare it an accident, to insist that he was caught in a sudden riptide. But Cindy, left all alone, is not convinced. Cindy must return to her and Clint’s now-empty home in New York and face her in-laws, who never wanted Clint to marry her, and who did everything to make her engagement and wedding hell.
Cindy is mailed an anonymous photo of a woman she had never met, addressed to Clint. As she tries to unravel the mysterious package, as she begins to dig deeper into Clint’s emails and files, she realizes how many secrets Clint had been hiding from his past. She realizes that she didn’t really know the man she loved. And she also realizes that Clint was murdered.  She digs deeper, into the depths of Clint’s massive corporation, DGB oil, and as she starts to unearth information she shouldn’t, she goes too far. Soon her own life is in peril. On the run, she realizes that the only way to get answers, and to save her own life, is to return to where it all began: Barbados. As she heads into the dark underside of the island, into the heart of the local villages, she is shocked to discover what really happened to her husband on their honeymoon.

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When I first received the request for a review, I have to admit that I didn’t find the title very original. It not only reveals a hell of a lot about the book it’s also one of the many pun-titles you see around. However, I was intrigued by the blurb. There are not many stories that begin with the death of a husband on the newlyweds’ honeymoon. So of I went. 

The story was good, nothing spectacular, but not bad either. It’s the story of Cindy. After a lot of struggles with her in-laws she finally got to marry her love Clint only to lose him on their honeymoon, when he dies in a supposedly freak accident. This is also where the story starts. You get thrown right into it. No leading up to the big event for this author! The focus of the story is what happens after. Clint’s parents are not the easiest to get along with. Opposed to the marriage from the beginning they’re downright hostile to Cindy.

From the beginning Cindy suspects foul play, but it isn’t until later in the story that she really starts to delve into Clint’s live and death. Something foul is going on and Cindy is right in the middle of it. The question for Cindy is: does she want to know the truth? 

Like I said, this story was good. Nothing original, but not bad either. Cindy is not my kind of gal. She’s too easy for me. She lets her life be dictated by her overly bossy sister and hardly (in my eyes) stands up to her in-laws. Of course, she’s suffered a great loss and it’s not easy having to deal with everything.

The characters are standard and the setting is so-so. Though it was nice to see something different than America for a change!  However, keep in mind that Death by Honeymoon is a relative short story and doesn’t leave too much page-space to really delve into things. As a result this is why the story fell a bit short for me. The mystery hardly got going before the end is there. It’s too cut out for me. That doesn’t mean this story is not for you as it might just be what gets you through a lazy Sunday afternoon!

Interview/Guestpost and giveaway: Heather Lynn Rigaud - Fitwilliam Darcy, rock star

It's Friday and today I have Heather Lynn Rigaud over and she talks about her new book, Fitzwilliam Darcy, rock star. And there is also a giveaway of a copy at the end.

Dear Blodeuedd,

Thanks for having me on your blog to talk about Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star. I'm looking forward to the chance to get to know your readers.

-    The idea of them as rockstars....

I was thinking about how to represent the prestige that Darcy had in P&P in the modern world. It's not enough to just be rich- in the Regency gentlemen had a social ranking that doesn't exist in the same way today. So I was discussing the problem with my friend Abigail Reynolds and we hit on the idea of Darcy being an artist. And from there, I went to him being a musician. Now, I could have made him a (strictly) classical musician, but frankly, there are plenty of romances out there with the hero as a classical musician, so I went in a different direction.

I thought about a rock star that's a gifted artist, but not a very outgoing, social one. One who was willing to let his music do the talking. From there, it was a short hop to Slurry.


- Is it hard to take this classic and set it in the modern world?

Yes and no. In some ways, it's easy, because the emotions the characters feel are timeless. We've all felt what Elizabeth feels: Proud of our own insights. Hurt from being snubbed. Angry at being wronged. Embarrassed by our companions. Ashamed at our ignorance. These things are universal and make Elizabeth and Darcy very accessible characters.

Also, the general plot of Pride & Prejudice is pretty classic: First they kinda don't like each other, then they really don't like each other, then they realize they were wrong and change, and finally they admit they love each other. This is familiar plot to anyone, so that was easy to adapt.

But at the same time, some of the specific situations of Pride & Prejudice don't carry over at all. A great example is Jane's illness at Netherfield. Austen used this device to get Darcy and Elizabeth together for snappy dialog, to present Caroline Bingley as an antagonist, and to let us know more about all of their motivations. Poor Jane basically disappears in her bedroom and we don't see her until she's ready to go home.

Nowadays the idea of someone being too sick to take a 3-mile trip home is crazy and not very believable. But the device of putting Darcy and Elizabeth together in a situation that neither can escape is really useful from a story telling point of view. Plus, there are clear story-markers in the P&P story that I needed to hit for it to be a P&P adaptation. In the end, there was no escaping it- Jane needed to go down. I took a cue from the news, and had her knocked out by a bottle being throw from the audience.

As a storyteller, this was golden. By putting everyone in a stressful situation, I got to explore Darcy and Elizabeth in a vulnerable state. I got to have Charles and Jane crystallize their feelings for each other but not able to act on them, due to her injury, and as an added bonus (which I didn't see coming) I ended up with one of the most popular and memorable scenes in the story when Richard Fitzwilliam and Charlotte Lucas get together.

-    How did the love for all things Jane Austen start?

I've got to be honest and say it all started with Bridget Jones's Diary. I'm a huge fan of comedies and the movie got me. I followed it with Helen Fielding's book,  (a fearless modern adaptation in itself) which led to Pride & Prejudice (1995) and from there to Jane Austen. Once I finished Pride & Prejudice, I followed it with Persuasion, then Emma, and then the rest. At any given time, I'm rereading one of her novels, kept on my bedside table. Jane Austen's talent constantly stuns me. She has an understanding of human nature that is genius and her use of language is so skillful she makes what is truly difficult look easy.

-    Who would  play them all in a movie...

I'm often asked this and I'm going to admit right off I have a hard time with Darcy and Elizabeth. I'm sure there are many talented actors who could play them, but I don't have a clear image of any specific person.

However, I do have some ideas for the other characters, and I freely admit I'm all over the map on these. Jane Bennet has always been based on Gwen Stefani. If you notice I even stole her wedding dress for Jane. Richard Fitzwilliam would be (very) well played by Chris Cornell who's the lead singer of Audioslave. As for Charles Bingley, you need someone very athletic, who can be really friendly and outgoing, as well as a little goofy. I'd love to see him played by Ryan Gosling. Finally, there's Charlotte Lucas, who's tricky because she needs to pull an 'Anne Elliot'. When we first see her, she's just a pair of arms flailing behind a drum kit. When we actually see her face, she's very plain and unremarkable. But as Richard (and the reader) slowly comes to know, and ultimately love her, she becomes physically much more interesting. Because I think she's got such an interesting storyline, I'd love to give her to Michelle Williams, who is an amazing chameleon.

Thanks! 

Giveaway:
1 copy of Fitzwilliam Darcy, rock star

1. US and Canada
2. Ends September 12
3. Just enter, or you could ask a question, or tell me what you think of Darcy as a rock star, or anything really :)

Out Now from Sourcebooks

Darcy's as hot as he is talented...

Fast music, powerful beats, and wild reputations-on and off stage-have made virtuoso guitarist Fitzwilliam Darcy's band into rock's newest bad boys. But they've lost their latest opening act, and their red-hot summer tour is on the fast track to disaster. Now Darcy and bandmates Charles Bingley and Richard Fitzwilliam are about to meet their match...

But she's about to rock his world...

Enter Elizabeth Bennet, fiercely independent star of girl-band Long Borne Suffering. Elizabeth, her sister Jane, and friend Charlotte Lucas have talent to spare and jump at the opening band slot. Elizabeth is sure she's seen the worst the music industry has to offer. But as the days and nights heat up, it becomes clear that everyone is in for a summer to remember.

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My flash fiction for this week

And I am guestblogging over at Escape in a book and talking about YA PNR

Review: Fitzwilliam Darcy, rock star - Heather Lynn Rigaud

Genre: Modern Pride and Prejudice variation
Pages: 432
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: September 1, 2011
Source: For review

Darcy's as hot as he is talented...
Fast music, powerful beats, and wild reputations-on and off stage-have made virtuoso guitarist Fitzwilliam Darcy's band into rock's newest bad boys. But they've lost their latest opening act, and their red-hot summer tour is on the fast track to disaster. Now Darcy and bandmates Charles Bingley and Richard Fitzwilliam are about to meet their match...
But she's about to rock his world...
Enter Elizabeth Bennet, fiercely independent star of girl-band Long Borne Suffering. Elizabeth, her sister Jane, and friend Charlotte Lucas have talent to spare and jump at the opening band slot. Elizabeth is sure she's seen the worst the music industry has to offer. But as the days and nights heat up, it becomes clear that everyone is in for a summer to remember.

My thoughts:
Now this one was certainly different from the other variations I have read. But the story is still there, just further back and with modern aspects to it. Darcy is still Darcy and Lizzy is still Lizzy.

But yes still very different. Darcy is a rockstar with his own band Slurry. Wickham used to play there too but was thrown out, later we learn why. But now there is Bingley who is as sweet as ever, and Richard who is the person that has changed the most. Poor Richard has a few addictions. Lady Catherine owns the record company and is no relation at all, Mr Collins works for her (and is an ass as always).

Lizzy is as clever as always (and blind), Jane is sweet and Charlotte, well like Richard she has changed a bit too. Old Charlotte is still there but she has a modern twist to her, she more fun. They form the band Long Borne Suffering and are now on tour with our Rock Gods.

The twists are there. Darcy still says something stupid and Lizzy resents him. Bingley and Jane fall madly in love. There still has been something between Wickham and Georgiana. Pemberley is still around (but very different) and everyone still lives happily ever after. Well sort of. This is a new version of course and the thing that I enjoyed was when Richard and Charlotte started flirting. Because we all know she should not have to be stuck with that idiot Mr, Collins.

Rock and roll and sex. Yes this book sure took the old classic story and put a whole new spin on it and I enjoyed it a lot. It sure is a very different variation but it works so well. I do think Darcy was born to be  a rock god ;)

Conclusion:

I enjoyed it and I recommend it to my fellow JA lovers. But since this story is so modern and the story is more hidden in a way, I also think that those who has not tried a variation yet (because you feel it so be wrong), that you would enjoy this one too. It’s a new story after all.

Rating:

Fun new twist

Cover:

Nice