Oops!

I've not been very good at keeping this updated! The best place to send anyone looking for reviews is our new group reviews blog, connected to the forum..

BCF - The Reviews

2007 So Far...

It's been a great start to the year.. I've read Raven Hart's great sequel, some more great writing from Katherine Warwick, plus I've rediscovered Carole Matthews. Her latest book, The Chocolate Lover's Club is a fun read.. think Cathy Kelly, with a faster pace, and alot of humour. :)

She was also our Featured Author during February, which resulted in some interesting conversations. Raven is with us during March, so come along and ask her about anything vampire related.

Books so far....
Raven Hart - The Vampire's Secret
Excellent sequel.. review to follow.
Susan Hill - The Woman in Black
Atmospheric classic ghost story. Review.
Katherine Warwick - Wilde
Although not my favourite, another well written offering from our KW
Leslie Schwartz - Angels Crest
Started well, but dragging in the middle. I'm afraid I'm giving up, although I may return to it.
Thomas Harris - Hannibal Rising
To be honest, I can't decide what I think of this one.... good story, but there's something about the style I don't get on with.
Carole Matthews - A Whiff of Scandal
Light, funny read, that has you cheering for the main charcters at the end! Review.
Carole Matthews - The Chocolate Lovers Club
This was a good read, very enjoyable. See review.
Katherine Warwick - Overprotected
A not yet published manuscript, well worth looking out for when it is!
JD Robb - Innocent in Death
An improvement on recent books, nice to see Eve being 'human'!
Carol Matthews - Welcome to the Real World
Yet another fun book from Carole! Review to follow.
Ronlyn Domingue - The Mercy of Thin Air
A fascinating debut - review and interview coming soon.
Jed Rubenfeld - The Interpretation of Murder
Difficult to follow at times, but a great setting, and having Freud and psychoanalysis involves adds an interest slant.

Raven Hart - The Vampire's Secret

This is book two in the series, following on from The Vampire's Seduction, and is published March 27th 2007.

When you've read, and loved a book, picking up the next in the series can feel like a risky endeavour. On the one hand, you want to get back to the characters, settings and storylines that you enjoyed before, but on the other, what if it doesn't live up to expectations?

The Vampire's Secret didn't just meet my expectations, but it surpassed them.. I loved this book! One of the advantages of a sequel is that you already know the main characters, so the author can concentrate straight away on developing them, and exploring their relationships, and this is one of the aspects I loved. I found myself caught up in their loves and conflicts, and there's a change in William at one point, that is captured so well.

The supporting characters are also well developed, to the point where they seem to mean as much as the main ones.. and there are some new ones introduced as well.

There's more of everything in this book, but we warned, that also includes the sex. However, it's part of the story, and it fits, rather than distracting. If it's going to continue like this, I can't wait for book three!

Buy at Amazon

Katherine Warwick / J.M. Warwick

I have had the pleasure of being introduced to this author on my forum. She has kindly sent me copies of her books, and I have been very pleasantly surprised by them.

She writes romance novels, based on ballroom dancing, something that I never thought would catch my interest. However, she has a fabulous 'voice', and gives a fascinating insight into this world.

She also writes for Young Adults, and as well as romance novels for this age group, she has written a more 'edgier' book, entitled An Open Vein. This one has captivated myself, and other readers on the forum, and is an excellent read for young and old alike! (Am I saying I'm old?! LOL)

She is our 'Featured Author' this month, and so the easiest thing is to direct you there...
http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=38

The Woman In Black - Susan Hill

Synopsis
When Arthur Kipps attends the funeral of Alice Drablow he is unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind her house. It is not until he glimpses a woman dressed all in black at the funeral that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold.

Review
I picked this one up because I had heard good things about it, most of all that it was scary. The book begins well, with a family telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve. Arthur Kipps becomes upset, because of his own experiences, and decides to write his story down, to try help himself 'heal'.

Personally, I would describe this book as scary, but it is a wonderfully classic ghost story, told with wonderful descriptions, and great atmosphere. It starts slow, but builds pace, along with the haunting, leading to an ending that will stay with you, even if you've already guessed it.

A fab read!

Buy at Amazon

The Vampire's Seduction - Raven Hart

Vampire books seem popular now, especially the various 'paranormal romance', and 'chick-lit' types. This vamp book, however, is certainly not in either category. Mind you, neither would I class it as a horror, even though the publishers appear to.

William and Jack are very strong, well written characters - they are very different, and yet they compliment each other well. They're also supported by a wealth of other characters, including shape shifters.

The storyline is well written, and very gripping.. you feel as if you really know these characters, and care about their outcomes. There's a clever mix of humour, blood and sex, and it'll leave you wanting more....

Buy at Amazon

Ending 2006

My apologies, I got a little side tracked, and forgot about updating this! 2006 has been a great year for me, discovering many new books and authors.. and it looks set to continue into 2007.

I'll catch up my list, then add a few reviews:
Arthur C Clarke / Stephen Baxter - The Light Of Other Days
Interesting ideas and issues, easy read, gripping.
Julie Myerson - Something Might Happen
Unusual format, but still a gripping (if sad) book.
Dawn Annadale - Call Me Elizabeth
Interesting insight into many issues.
Armetis Fowl
Enjoyable, but not a series I'll be carrying on with.
Julian Clary Autobiography
Very honest book, insightful.
Sharon Osbourne Extreme
Been put aside for a while.. the early days are interesting, but need a rest from it.
Rosemary's Baby - Simple story, but great. Not sure about the ending though.
Jodi Picoult - Vanishing Acts
Fairly good, interesting themes.
Stephen King - The Shining
I really enjoyed re-reading this one. Nice and creepy, good ending for a 'horror' book.
Katherine Warwick - Dancing With His Heart
A sizzling romance, gripping and insightful.
Katherine Warwick - Noon
Another romance, but wrapped around a great story, with interesting characters.
JM Warwick - An Open Vein
Dark 'Young Adult' book that's just as enjoyable for adults. Good ending.
Lynsay Sands - Single White Vampire
Funny and sexy book.. I shall be looking out for the rest.
Jodi Picoult - Nineteen Minutes
Ah.. one of her best!
Terry Pratchett - Hogfather
Whilst I enjoyed this, I still preferred Mort and Reaper Man.
Celia Rees - Witch Child
Again, enjoyable, and quite gripping.
Jonathan Stroud - Buried Fire
Interesting ideas, gripping book towards the end. Lacking the humour I enjoy from Stroud.

Catching Up.. Again!

I keep forgetting this one!

Getting up to date:
Bram Stoker - Dracula
I'm glad I finally picked this one up, however, it did drag towards the end.
Jonathan Stroud - The Golem's Eye
A fun read, keen to get the third part now.
Philippa Gregory - The Little House
Excellent little offering from Philippa, very different to her usual, but gets you involved in her characters.
Val McDermid - The Mermaids Singing
This one is hyped up on the back, and doesn't quite live up. Some bits I wasn't keen on, but overall a pretty good 'serial killer' crime book.
Jonathan Stroud - Ptolemy's Gate
An excellent finish to the trilogy.. I will miss Bartimaeus, and will definitely be looking out for more from this author.
Anchee Min - Empress Orchid
An absorbing book, which has stayed with me since finishing.
Mitch Albom - The Five People You Meet in Heaven
A very sweet book, which does make you think about the impact that we all have one others.
Arthur Golden - Memoirs of a Geisha
Another great read.. a good story, well told.
Nora Roberts - Blue Dahlia
First part of a trilogy, so not everything rounded up at the end. great characters.
Raven Hart - The Vampire's Seduction
This wasn't what I was expecting! In my opinion, a great vampire book, showing 2 sides to them.

Dorothy Koomson - My Best Friend's Girl

This is part of the 'Richard and Judy Summer Read 2006', and was the only one in their list that caught my eye. And I'm glad it did.. I loved every minute, and it's a real page turner.

If there's one criticism, it's that there's not much 'depth'.. the author lays it all out for you. But, she does have a really good understanding of emotions, and the way we sometimes fail to communicate how we really feel.

It was also a very honest book.. part of the story is the main characters relationship with 2 men, but it wasn't a straight-forward romantic tale, but rather seemed to reflect how complicated real life can be.

Buy My Best Friend's Girl at Amazon

Update to list...

Jim Brown - 24/7
Great page-turning thriller!
Charlaine Harris - Dead In Dallas
Another enjoyable book, really enjoying the characters.
Dean Koontz - Velocity
An interesting story, but not one of his best.
Tess Gerittsen - Gravity
Setting most of this story in space made it more interesting. Didn't work for me as a 'thriller', but I did get involved in the characters.
Charlaine Harris - Club Dead
This is an enjoyable series, and I love the characters.
Kelley Armstrong - Broken
Enjoyable, but for me, not quite as good as previous books.
Graham Masterton - Innocent Blood
A good idea, but certain points make it less believeable.
Cathy Kelly - Someone Like You
Started well, lags a little in the middle, with a nice ending.
Graham Masterton - The Hidden World
An unusual idea.. an adult fairy tale which will stay with me.
Elizabeth Kostova - The Historian
A long book, which suits long reading sessions, rather than short ones. I'm glad I stayed with it though.

Elizabeth Kostova - The Historian

I picked up this book quite a while ago, but only got around to reading it because we chose it as our Reading Circle book. It was a long book, and some sections seemed to drag, but it's really worth sticking with it.

There's alot in the book, including 3 intertwining stories, and beautiful descriptions of places and history. It's the kind of book that would suit a series of long reading sessions, rather than the short ones that I managed to grab.

According to the Reading Circle, different people found different sections slow going, but overall, they all seemed pleased they'd stayed with it. I'm glad I did.. it's a book that's stayed with me.

Buy The Historian at Amazon

Gravity - Tess Gerritsen

Tess Gerritsen is well known for her medical thrillers, and this time she adds a little twist - this story is mainly set in space.

She's obviously done her research, because everything about the space station and NASA seems believeable. She also manages to write about medical issues whilst keeping it understandable.

From a plot point of view, this story is quite predictable. You know that most of the characters are going to die in a gruesome way, but you also just know that the main character is going to somehow survive.. and that removes alot of the tension for me.

However, the strong point of this story was the emotional side.. I could really feel the characters, and found myself caught up in their relationship. And I was actually pleased that she survived. :)

If this had been a simple medical thriller, it would have been quite disappointing. However, the space angle keeps it interesting.

Buy Gravity at Amazon

Charlaine Harris - Living Dead In Dallas

I should really start by going back to the first book in this series.. Dead Until Dark. In this book we discover that vampires have 'come out of the coffin'.. although some say that they had a virus, which makes them allergic to things, including sunlight!

In the first book we're introduced to Sookie, a down to earth, likeable character, and Bill.. the vampire she starts dating. We are also introduced to other vampire characters.

The second book includes these same characters, plus some new ones. Each book offers a complete story, as well a continuation of the relationships.

These are well written books, combining different genres. They're not written as horror books, and they include humour and romance.

I've really enjoyed these books, and I'm waiting for my library to get in number 3 for me!

Buy Dead Until Dark at Amazon
Buy Living Dead in Dallas at Amazon