Be Mine

Sherry Seymour is an English teacher at a community college. She is happily married with a teenaged son Chad; her relationship with her husband Jon is stable but boring. Then she receives an anonymous valentine note in her school mailbox, and from that day onwards it changes her life. At first, she is both amused and flattered by it, but is quickly replaced by curiousity as she continues to receive the notes.

She tells Jon about the notes whom he thinks it's rather sexy and that this little drama could spice up their sex life - with him fantazing being the other 'lover'. Later she runs into Garret, who is Chad's childhood friend, and while catching up on old times, he tells her about his mechanics instructor, Bram who mentions her name a few times during class and thinks he might be the secret admirer. Assuming he is the one who left her the love notes, she begins to take notice of him and soon they started an affair.

Thereafter, it simply gets out of hand when she realizes Bram didn't leave any note to her at all. And to make things worse, Bram appears to be obsessive and wouldn't want her to find the person who left her the notes. Sherry's world begins to tilt when she learns a secret which she isn't supposed to know; and also she begins to feel a sense of loss when Chad seems to pull away from her.

I really enjoyed this novel, and was hooked from the beginning till the end. The book blurb said it is an erotic thriller, but I didn't see anything 'erotic' in this story. Unlike others, you won't see much steamy scenes here and even if there are a few, the author concentrates on the emotions of the characters rather than the act of doing it. There is also something 'poetry' about Laura Kasischke's writing style which I find it refreshing. I am satisfied with the story which it ends with a twist that surprises me.

Jackson Rule

I have never read anything by Dinah McCall (also known as Sharon Sala), but this book has definitely sets me thinking. Jackson Rule is an emotional read, and a story about redemption.

Jackson Rule (the book title as well as the hero's name) is a convicted killer. To anyone, he has committed a hideous crime by killing his own father, thus spending his fifteen years behind the bars. The years has passed, and finally he is released from prison and he tells himself he wants to start a new life again.

Rebecca Hill is a preacher's daughter. She first meets Jackson when he helps her with a car problem. She later meets him again when he applies for a job at her own landscaping business, even though he tells her he was an ex-convict because she believes anyone should be given a second chance. Slowly, their attraction for each other grows but Jackson is scarred by his childhood's memories, while Rebecca struggles to come to terms not only with her father who disapproves of everything but also to Jackson who believes they have no future together.

I like the main characters in this story. I really sympathize with Jackson but I also admire his strength. I like Rebecca because she is kind, and she believes in herself regardless what the others think, and in my opinion this needs a lot of courage (especially the scene where she hires Jackson even though he is an ex-con).

Ice Blue

Anne Stuart has done it again! This latest release is the third book of her Ice series, and like her previous books - Black Ice and Cold As Ice, I was once again swept off by Anne's another creation of a dark hero and strong heroine in Ice Blue. If you have read this series, you should have known the heroes in this series are members of the Committee - a secret anti-terrorism organization led by their leader Madame Isobel Lambert, in which they are known to be cold and ruthless.

The heroine, Summer Hawthorne is a museum curator; she also owns a priceless blue ceramic bowl which was passed down from her beloved nanny, whom had told her to take good care of it before she died. But what Summer doesn't know is this bowl - which is actually an ancient urn is also sought after by Shirosama. He is the leader of the True Realization Fellowship, a Japanese religious cult which they believe they can "cleanse" the world (i.e. to kill the people so that they can reach the other stage of life) once he gets the urn and the location of the shrine to perform the deeds. Shirosama ordered his followers (so called 'brothers') to capture Summer and have her to hand over the urn, but before he could get hold of her, she manages to escape with the help of an exotic, attractive man by the name of Takashi O'Brien ("Taka").

Taka thinks this is one of his other assignments, that is to get rid of the woman who holds a dangerous secret before this is acquired by the cult. There are a few times he had saved her from Shirosama's followers and that he keeps telling himself he will make it a quick and painless death for her, but yet he doesn't understand why he couldn't bring himself to killing her. Then that's when Summer tells him the bowl displays at the museum is actually a fake, Taka further convinces himself he will protect her and gets the actual urn and learn about the location of a shrine before he kills her, which is his original plan anyway.

From there onwards, the story picks up quickly and I am drawn to the suspense as I am dying to find out what happens next, as well as the intense relationship between Taka and Summer as their adventure begins whey they flew off to Japan to find the shrine. I absolutely like the half Asian hero and the heroine in this book. Summer is one brave lady, who doesn't succumb to the hands of fate even though she is held as a hostage for several occasions. Taka, on the other hand does has a soft spot although he appears to be a cold-hearted killer, which I find it rather sexy.

I really enjoyed reading this book, even more so while reading this with my good friend, Julia. We have made a pact that we will read all the Ice series books together, and that makes me think I can't wait to get a copy of Ice Storm, which will be released in November. This will be a story of Madame Isobel Lambert, the woman behind the Committee. While reading Ice Blue, I can also sense a spark between Jilly (Summer's younger sister) and Reno (Taka's younger cousin) towards the end of the story. I'm hoping Anne Stuart will write about them next.

Sight Unseen

Raven Callahan is a thief. But she isn't your ordinary thief, you see, for she works at Antiquities Preservation Institute and she recovers stolen art to their lawful owners. Besides the specialty of her job, through her special gift she is also able to feel the objects when touching them (i.e. she can feel the emotions of the person that owned or is connected to the objects).

Then her superior Bigley asks her to go for an auction with her partner Walter to bid for a Vassalo painting, but Walter was kidnapped and she has to steal the painting if she wants him to be alive.

Ex-cop David "Dax" Maddox cannot let go of his past after his rookie partner, Nick was murdered some time ago. He blames himself for Nick's death and vows to catch the killer, hoping to seek revenge for Nick which leads him to the Matador's Auction House in Miami, where he recognizes the woman thief. Initially, Raven is reluctant to team up with Dax but after seeing the threat note which is left by the maniac kidnapper, she has no choice but to work with Dax even though they have different perspectives.

Samantha Graves succeeded in writing this fast paced story packed with action and romance. This book will definitely keep your heart racing.

The Secret Life of Bees

As you can see, lately I was in a mood for mainstream stories. This is another beautiful story I read right after The Memory Keeper's Daughter. One of the great things I find reading mainstream stories is they are very much like reality and can be thought provoking at times.

The story takes place on a peach farm in South Carolina in 1964. Lily Owens is a fourteen-year-old girl, living with her father and a black housekeeper named Rosaleen. She isn't happy staying with her dad because he is quick tempered and he always find chances at yelling and punishing her. She misses her mom, who died when she was four. Thus, Rosaleen becomes her only confidant. Rosaleen is a woman full of spunk and Lily finds she can be embarrassingly unself-conscious at times.

And that leads to a racial brawl when Rosaleen insults three of the deepest racists in town one day. Rosaleen ends up bruised and beaten in jail. Lily thinks it is up to her to save her, and miraculously, she did. They then head off to a town called Tiburon in S.C., after finding its name on the back of a picture left by her mom.

It is there that they meet the trio of black beekeeping sisters by the names of May, June and August. They take Lily and Rosaleen in, and they work for the sisters in return.

It is during the stay with the trio, Lily begins her journey of finding the missing piece of her life, and daring herself to dream.

Inspiring and heartwarming, this story will captivate readers both mature and the young.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

This book is about family, relationships, choices, secrets and unconditional love. A moving and thought provoking story that touches my heart, and that it will stay in my mind for a long time.

The year is 1964. Dr. David Henry is an orthopedic surgeon and he has a perfect life. He married Norah - a wonderful and beautiful woman, and they are about to start a family soon. They even have the names chosen - Paul should a boy be born and Phoebe should be a girl. On the night when Norah is in labor, a snowstorm hit and David is forced to deliver his own child with only help of his nurse, Caroline Gill. Although he is thrilled to learn they have twins, he isn't prepared to welcome the baby girl who is diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Hoping to spare everyone in the family from the pain, and that this incident reminds him too much of his young sister who died from a heart condition during his childhood, he decides to send her to an institution and so instructs Caroline to have the baby sent to an institution. Caroline went with a heavy heart, but upon reaching the institution, she changes her mind and decides to raise the baby as and on her own from Lexington, Kentucky to Pittsburgh.

When Norah comes around, she asks David about the twins and he lied to her that Phoebe died at birth. Some years pass by, Norah still couldn't accept the loss of their girl while David continues to harbour the guilt. From there, the story quickly unfolds and readers will soon find out how that one decision will leave an impact to both families - David's and Caroline's.

I liked all the characters in this book. Their emotions are strongly felt and I really sympathize with each of them: David for coming up with the decision (no matter what the circumstances is); Norah for coping with her loss; Paul for his dream and yet his dad has other expectations from him, and also not to mention he wonders about his "dead" sister and how life will be like if she is around; Caroline for her dilemma (as in whether to tell or not to tell) and finally Phoebe being the innocent victim amongst all.

All in all, this is a wonderful novel in my humble opinion. I will definitely check out Kim Edwards' books in future.

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