5★ Reads for March 2011

I’ve always hesitated to grade or “rate” the books I read. There’s a piece of me that feels it’s a bit reductive. I’m a wordy sort of person (if you couldn’t already tell ) and prefer to give the whys of something rather than a letter grade, number, or a symbol (insert quantifying icon here).

However, spending so much time on Goodreads has really gotten me into the habit of giving books I read a star-rating. And, while I balked at first at giving the 1 to 5 star ratings there, I’ve now gotten (mostly) used to it.

In March, I was surprised when I noticed that I had a good number of 5★ reads. I don’t feel like I give 5★s out easily. Phrases like: “blown away”, “greatly exceeded my expectations”, and, “awesome!” have to enter my head while reading a book to which I’d give 5★s.

And, these books did all of that, and then some:

The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran

This is one of those books that I don’t have an excuse as to why I haven’t read it earlier. I’ve read Meredith Duran’s other books (except her most recent one) and really loved them. Yet, despite having The Duke of Shadows on my tbr for a while, I just now got to it. And loved it. I was wrecked for other books after finishing it.

Emma was smart and feisty. She goes through hell and doesn’t come out unscathed. A lot of the book’s personal drama is due to her damage. Yet, I understood why she felt the way that she did—even though on the inside I just wanted her to get with Julian. Of course, then the book would have had no conflict.

And, in Julian I have found a new favorite hero. He’s honorable and straightforward, and like Emma, he too has baggage he’s carrying around. Yet, I never doubted his love for Emma.

The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, book 1)  by Clay and Susan

I’d heard so much buzz about this book, that my expectations were pretty high. And, even so, I was utterly captivated by this highly original story.

The closest I  can come to comparing it to another book, is that it’s like a slightly less romance-y Iron Duke. It has elements of steampunk, adventure, and some romance.

Princess Adele is the next in line to the Empire of Equatoria. She’s brave and idealistic, and she still has lots to learn about the world beyond her kingdom. An attack while she is touring border territories thrusts her into the middle of a terrifying world where vampires now rule what was once Great Britain.

Coming to her aid is the mysterious Greyfriar, a masked hero, who always mysteriously shows up at the right time. (Though that’s not to say that Adele is some helpless maiden.) The story is pulpy in feel (in a fun way), but it doesn’t sacrifice character development for action. It has a great balance of both, and is one of my favorite reads of 2011 so far. I can’t wait for book 2, The Riftwalker, later this fall.

Home for the Holidays by Sarah Mayberry

I went on and on about Home for the Holidays over at Goodreads, so sorry if I repeat myself here:

Sarah Mayberry packs an amazing amount of story into a category romance. Even with the Super Romance’s longer length, I was surprised by how this category romance packs a wallop.

I LOVED both Joe and Hannah. They each had their baggage coming into the story, but worked through all of it even while the story took time showing their courtship. Great stuff.

There was a plot twist at the end that had me glancing at the number of pages left, wondering how Sarah Mayberry would resolve it in a realisitc and satisfying way. She did. And, then some.

A Lot Like Love by Julie James

Tied with Practice Makes Perfect as my new favorite by Julie James.

Julie James is an author I know will always give great banter. The interplay between her heroes and heroines read like Tracy/Hepburn movies, with palpable chemistry and fast dialogue that is smart and funny.

What made A Lot Like Love work so well for me was that the suspense plot flowed equally well, and made me not want to put it down. I can tell I’m really into a book when I catch myself skimming, in an attempt to read the book faster. (Of course, then I have to make myself go back, and savor what I read s-l-o-w-l-y.) There was a lot of that in A Lot Like Love.

GhosTV (PsyCop series, book 6) by Jordan Castillo Price

I was worried that my anticipation, high expectations, and love for Vic and the PsyCop series would lead to disappointment when I finally got hands on GhosTV. I was wrong.

JCP did something that often is hard to find in mystery/romance books. That is, she showed the hero in a believable, but still compelling established relationship, while developing an equally compelling and suspenseful paranormal mystery.

Vic is one of my favorite protagonists to read about. His uncomfortable-ness in his skin competes with how happy he is in his relationship with Jacob. And, where sometimes a somewhat neurotic protagonist can be whiny or annoying, Vic is never that. One really gets that Vic’s insecurity doesn’t stem from doubts about Jacob’s love for him. THAT’S his touchstone. The rest of his baggage is his shit to work out, he owns it, and he doesn’t just dump it on Jacob. Which makes him a wonderfully strong character, IMO.

And, as for the case Vic and Jacob are working on, it kept me guessing, trying to figure things out, as well as having a considerable creep factor. It also left me with wanting more. Especially, after a decision that’s made at the end of the book. Can’t wait for book 7!

Wanna know something awesome? After writing the greater part of this post, I actually had another couple of  5✭ reads. However, my preparations for attending the Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention is necessitating that I wrap this post up here. Next week, I’ll do some mini-reviews of the rest of the books.