Intrusion by Charlotte Stein

Intrusion
by Charlotte Stein
Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

My Review:
I really couldn't put this book down. In some Charlotte Stein novels, it's because the characters are so amusing. But this one, oh wow, it was so intense and full of creepy tension. There was no way I could stop readings until I got past the anxious sections – it would have been too disturbing to try to sleep with the eerie parts in my brain.

Honestly though, it wasn't as bad as I had been expecting. I heard rumors that it was going to be a bit more of a thriller and I was gearing up for pretty much start to finish spine-tingling (which would have been really hard for me to stick with), but instead it turned out to be very touching with some allusions to disturbing events in the past and then one big creepy factor right near the end.

This one is written in 1^st person present tense and still has all the great Charlotte Stein high points - a really deep POV, very compact plot, and some deep insight into what the rest of the characters are thinking. Unlike a lot of her other novels, this one is very light on the amusement factor. I had a slightly twitter-pated smile for a little while, but no laughing.

In fact, I think this is the first Charlotte Stein book that I was in tears for. These characters both have a lot of pain, especially in their past, but they work through their problems in an believable manner. They were weighty and intense with quite a bit of angst, but I loved how instead of solving problems with a magical relationship, she allows the characters to overcome their problems by taking back their power. Each step in their journey felt empowering and a blossoming of their potential.

That's not to say these two grew separately. Their relationship was the catalyst for everything that happened and Charlotte Stein has a great voice for distilling an entire relationship to it's focal points. We don't see much of jobs, friends, even surroundings outside the one small house. But we get every single detail of their relationship's forward progress. I felt like I was taking each step right along with the characters.

I had so many heart-warming feelings for this story. It's a book you want to read while snuggled in a blanket – to hold in the emotional parts and stay safe from the creepiness. I'd read it again when I need to be reminded of the hope of healing, even when things look mentally messed up. But I might not read it just before bed.

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.


**This review is archived on my blog: The Theory of LietoFine

He Watches Me by Cynthia Sax

He Watches Me
by Cynthia Sax
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I was pretty blown away by this book. First off, the only other Cynthia Sax book I've read is a crazy, silly, alien story, so I had no idea what to expect with this. This story is relatively short; the first book in a three part series. I'm just amazed by the ability to take a situation that would really just be strange and creepy in real life and pull out every nuance of how this exactly fits what the characters are feeling.

Anna is invisible. People don't care about her, don't touch her, and really don't even notice her. She attempts to keep it that way, but she's also lonely. Until she finds that one person that truly sees her. For this part of the story, he doesn't need to do anything else except see.

Gabriel Blaine is a billionaire. Possibly a recluse as well. But he sees Anna and accepts her for who she is. We don't really know much about him in this book, just a couple sprinkles of details here and there. But he seems rather trustworthy, in the fantasy way obviously, because in real life it would be pretty creepy.

Let's be clear that all of these situations revolve around sexuality. This is not a kinky-BDSM book, but it is voyeuristic and explicit. The things that Blaine watches are naked sexuality, not simply “I see you watering your plants” or something.

I can't wait to get the next book in this series. This one ends as they are both just starting to open up to one another. I loved how the emotions were presented in this book and it all felt very real and engrossing.


**This review is archived on my blog: The Theory of Lieto Fine

Romancing The Duke by Tessa Dare

Romancing The Duke
by Tessa Dare
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
Tessa Dare books are always on my must read list. I think you pretty much can't go wrong with any of them. No matter if it's my favorite one or not, I never pick one up and then wonder if it's the best choice for right now. Within 10 pages, I'm completely hooked. This one was no different. Sadly, I didn't have four hours to read in one day, but the book was in my hand every chance I got.

Izzy is her own personal fairy tale. Pretty much nothing goes how she'd like but everything has some thread of familiarity to it. I found her to be very amusing and relatable. She took all the bad and transformed it into something good. She was the ultimate lemons-to-lemonade woman. She takes whatever she can get, grabs whatever loveliness she can, and allows herself to be whoever she needs to be. That sounds confusing, but really it was just that she was fine acting in certain ways to keep up the impressions of who she was. In some books, that might be annoying (and it was to Ransom for a while), but she was strong enough to own who she was but still play a role when she felt like it. She wanted to give everyone else the fairy tale because life can be magical.

Ransom is scarred and cynical, but he also wasn't one to deny his feelings. He's the reformed bad-boy that everyone would like. He's got brothel receipts a mile long, but hasn't been with anyone since his accident. Izzy brings him back to the land of the living, but really she taught him how to believe again. It wasn't her dragging him along, but instead she showed Ransom the magic of friendships and life and fighting for what you want.

Tessa Dare has been writing Spindle Cove novels for so long that it was hard to remember no one in this book came from that world. This book had it's own complete cast of secondary characters. I didn't necessarily like all of them. Some of them were rather self-absorbed and inconsiderate. They weren't bad, but they also didn't make me long to see their own happily-ever-after. Bad guys are given almost no page-time in this book. The characters take their time to work out what they want and how they'll get there and it doesn't have much to do with the villains, even though there is a mystery with dishonest characters.

When you need a book to carry you away into a different world, this is the book for you. Like watching a engaging movie, this book made me happy. I liked reading it and I reveled in watching Izzy and Ransom's story unfold.

Beauty And The Blacksmith

Beauty And The Blacksmith
by Tessa Dare
Rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review:
I just read this one for the second time and realized that I didn't post a review. This book is just awesome, covered with more awesome. It's super short, maybe two hours worth of reading, max. But so worth it. This book is part of a series and with it being so short, I wouldn't recommend it for a first time Tessa Dare reader. Read some of the other Spindle Cove novels first. But if you know something about Spindle Cove already, this is a perfect book to spend a couple hours with.

Diana has been a part of many of the Spindle Cove novels already. Her mom wants her to have an advantageous marriage but she's been able to put off any proposals with her ill health. She's had asthma all her life so has always been very controlled and calm. A nice china doll to look at, but she doesn't make much noise or express herself. This is the book where she breaks free of all of that. It takes some effort and some time, but she finds what she wants, goes after it, and finds herself to be capable of living life to the fullest.

Aaron is the town blacksmith. He's big and brawny and very hot. He's always been a good “big brother” to all the ladies in Spindle Cove and he can pretty much do anything he sets his mind to. He seems totally confident, except when it comes to Diana. He loves freely, cares about pretty much everyone, and puts other's needs above his own. But when it comes to Diana, he doesn't feel refined enough. He doesn't want to sully a person so pure and precious. But Diana is finally ready to shed the pure image and it's simply magic to see.

The language in this book is wonderful – enough historical that you feel like you're living there, but also enough contemporary phrasing that you're not trying to figure out what they mean. The writing is expressed so beautifully; every emotion is a part of you too whenever it's laid out in the book. It's a great escape book, especially when you've only got a little bit of time to read. It's got some dynamite love and sexual tension, some adventure and some character growth that combines to leave you very fulfilled but still wanting more.