Romance Books

There are many, many positions to pour over in this book, most are very tantalzing and very few pose any problem. The photos, also, are tastefully done. I highly recommend it. It's short and good, but not overblown. Another suggestion to go along with this one: Sex Machine: A Man's Guide to What Really Pleases a Woman in Bed.

There are a lot of books on sex positions out there, but this one really captured our attention. My wife and I found ourselves pouring over the book, passing it back and forth in a crowded Borders cafe pointing out to each other our favorite pages. The photography is excellent and very hot...and we found plenty of things we will be trying.

I would recommend "Getting the Love You Want" and the companion workbook to any couple who wants to strengthen their relationship.
Also I is a good match with the book I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't

Harville Hendricks has provided a clear and easily followed outline for couples to follow as they work on their marriage. It teaches effective communication which is the foundation of a successful marriage. I heartily endorse this book.

I have studied and practiced several models for couples counseling and this one by Hendrix is by far the best. Make sure to read the book as well.

The philosophy of relationships that Dr. Haskill has developed is well researched and eye opening. The excersizes in the workbook are useful tools for willing couples to use to find a deeper understanding of themselves and better communication.
However, the workbook is not necessary if you buy the book "Getting the Love you want;" you can use your own notebook to do the sessions which comprise section 3 of the book, as well as the workbook.
I do highly recommend this item, for anyone who believes that the answer to trouble in a love relationship is not to abandon the loved one but to first resolve the issues that have surfaced. The author has really hit on something.

I am only writing this to warn others you'll need the other book to be able to use this workbook. I don't have the other book so I have not been able to use any of the workbook.

This book is the most repetitious book I have ever not completed reading. It takes a classic love story and turns it into ridiculous tale of bondage and punishment over and over and over again. It would have liked it better if Sleeping Beauty would have ate a bushel of apples and went into a irreversible coma on about the 3rd page. Oh, did I mention that this book is repetitious?

The Prince wakens Beauty from her century of sleep--and then, as his reward for saving the castle, takes her as his prize. He leads Beauty back to his kingdom, where foreign princes and princesses are trained to be sexual slaves, willingly submitting to the most "depraved" desires. The fairy tale premise strips the story of characterization and justifies an unbelievable land where Beauty and a hundred other royals undergo public and state-sanctioned humiliating display, oft-repeated spankings, and sexual encounters which never require consent. The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty has a few darkly erotic moments but quickly disintegrates into repetition, and lacks character growth which might grant it some sense of purpose. I do not plan to read the sequels, and I do not recommend this book.

Initially, the premise of Claiming appears to have beautiful simplicity, but this simplicity is its biggest downfall. An untouched Beauty, woken from endless sleep into vivid life by a Prince--the concept leads easily into sexual overtones. However, fairy tales are brief and reiterative, and trade character for archetype: the sleeping Beauty, the warrior Prince. Rice maintains both aspects. She cannot sustain the simple concept over a novel's length, and the story quickly becomes repetitious: humiliation, spankings, sex, humiliation, spanking, sex. Beauty believes that each instance is worse than the last, but it's hard for the reader to agree. Not much varies besides the order of events, and sometimes a slave is tied up for a while or there's a bit of sodomy, but other than that the book drives in the same circle until the end. Beauty and Prince have little characterization outside of their titles, and while Beauty eventually encounters characters with names and the ghost of an identity, on the whole characterization is kept to a minimum. Without characterization, there is no character growth and no one for the reader to identify with and care about, stripping the story of any sense of purpose.

To be fair, the whole book is not a cycle of simple repetition. Claiming has a few moments of dark eroticism, where the encounter is conceived in such a way that it is appealing to the sympathetic mind (which is to say that the content tends towards idealized sexual violence not unlike BDSM, and may not suit all readers). Such moments, however, are the exception rather than the rule. The number of spankings, each one just like the one before, is so exaggerated that one begins to wonder if Rice has a fetish. On a less humorous note, the variations on sex and punishment tread on the edge of objectionable--not because the two can't be intermixed, but because Rice intermixes them without stopping for consent. To a certain extent, the fairy tale setting justifies this: the Prince's kingdom is an absurd land stripped of characters and run on fetishized sex, wholly unbelievable and therefore excused from rational details like reasonable doubt and sexual consent. But the setting can't excuse the fact that the book begins when the Prince rapes Beauty to wake her and then orders her into slavery against her will. Nevermind the fact that Beauty is forever aroused by her trails--the fantasy of the entire book is still tainted.

There is ample room in literature for erotic fairy tales--especially for eroticism that reveals or revels in the darkness of human nature. (The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter is a breathtaking example of such, and I highly recommend it.) The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, bogged down by blank-faced characters and dozen of identical spankings, plummets where it should soar. The result is a novel with only moments of erotic interest, never thought-provoking or intriguing but instead unbelievable, repetitious, and slightly unsettling. Rice cannot maintain the concept over a mere 250 pages, and I doubt that the two sequels are any better--I don't plan to read them. I was disappointed by this book, and I don't recommend it.

Excellent retelling of a favorite fairy tale. This book is a classic in the erotica genre, and I would highly reommend to others who are fans of Anne Rice and her particular writing style.

I have read a great deal of Anne Rice over the years, but in no way was I prepared for her Sleeping Beauty series! As in all of Rice's works, the language was intelligent and wonderfully descriptive, but unlike others... the storyline was a little dull.

I have always loved fairy tale retellings, so I was anxious to see what Rice would do with it.... I found out rather quickly that the story had very little to do with the fairytale and mostly just focused on the setting. Even the main characters (aside from the Prince and Beauty) were pretty far removed from any fairytale rendition, not to mention pretty one dimensional.

I also found that Rice spent a lot of time with the spanking, and I wonder if she took anytime at all to research BDSM to find other more interesting activities associated with it.... I mean, if you are planning on writing an entire book where that is the norm, shouldn't you be a little more up to speed on what other things that entails???

Although I am fairly open minded about my reading choices, this book included just a little too much shock and not enough substance for me.

I picked up this book because I was looking for some erotica and I am fan of Anne Rice's other work, however I was extremely disappointed. As other reviewers have said, the "spanking" was so redundant it was annoying, the plot was non-existent and the narrative was only so-so.
Most importantly I was NOT aware when I bought this novel that it was so strongly S&M, nonconsensual acts etc. Some people may enjoy those fantasizes(as fantasizes ONLY) however, pain, the threat of infliction of pain and explict descriptions of forced sexual activity do NOT arose me in the slightest. Unless you are a fan of S&M I do not suggest you purchase this book.

Jessica Kelly is a painter that just hasn't gotten a break yet. However, she is still painting and she has the support of her roommate if not her family. And Jessica has an appointment with a gallery in just a few days; she is hoping that it will produce some interest in her work. Then Jessica learns that there are things that can go bump in the night and will kill her if allowed too. Jessica just isn't ready to be killed by a nightmare and just what did the nightmare mean about her roommate?

Galar Arvid is a warlord and time jumper for the Temporal Enforcement Agency and his mission is to save Jessica if possible. But someone knows he and his team are at Jessica's and by the time Galar can get to Jessica, she has almost saved herself. Galar learns that night that while he was partially right about the attack on Jessica, he was partially wrong too.

When Galar and Jessica get back to Galar's home in the 24th century, it is just the beginning for both of them to learn about the other and the attraction that is just below the surface. Not only danger still seems to be following both Galar and Jessica but so does mistrust and hurtful misunderstandings. Galar and Jessica have to learn to believe and trust in each other if they are going to understand what was behind the attack on Jessica, capture a killer and find a future for their love.

Warrior is action-packed with danger and a flaming hot love story. Jessica has worked hard to get noticed in the art world only to have to disappear from her time to save her life. Galar has been hurt by loving someone before and is not ready to trust those feelings again anytime soon. I loved reading about Galar trying to help Jessica adjust to her new world and while Jessica tried to figure out how to break through Galar's wall to love. Ms. Knight had me from the first page with her combination of action, science fiction, compelling characters and a love that could travel back and forth through time and keep getting stronger. I suggest settling into your favorite reading position and having a nice cold drink at hand before starting Warrior because you won't want to stop reading to get them. Warrior is a keeper and a must read that just made me crave the next book in this series.

If you are interested in the back-story of the secondary characters in Galar's team and his world then you can find them in Warlord.

Jo
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Jessica Kelly is a simple, struggling artist in Atlanta, Georgia. She's waiting and hoping for her big break while taking care of her crack addict sister. Luckily, her roommate Charlotte Holt is an understanding lady and tells her not to worry about her financial situation. Charlotte seems like the perfect, understanding roommate until she infects Jessica with her DNA and sets her on the path of a futuristic killer. Luckily for Jessica, Galar Arvid and his team from the Temporal Enforcement Agency have been hiding in her bushes, waiting for the killer to make his move. When the killer attacks, he grabs Jessica mistaking her for her roommate, Charlotte. Jessica manages to get away despite a stab wound, and Galar and his team burst into her home, fighting off but not capturing the killer. They take her to the future where Jessica initially has a hard time with the adjustment. Galar thinks he's seen the last of the little native but his commanding officer decides Jessica needs protection and gives Galar the new duty of bodyguard. He is at first resistant but his pity for the terrified native turns into admiration as she strives to come to terms with her new life and the loss of her old one. The agency is unsure of who or what the Xeran battleborg assassin was after and decides Jessica needs observation, especially when she begins to develop incredible powers like telekinesis, precognition, and the ability to blow up a training bot. It seems Charlotte Holt was not who she appeared to be and has dragged Jessica into something that not even the Temporal Enforcement Agency knows about. With a mole within the agency stalking her, both Galar and Jessica need to learn to trust in each other and their abilities in order to help save something very special to the universe.

This is a sequel to Jane's Warlord and I loved that book and I loved this book too. Jessica has a spunky, fesity attitude and I loved her quick on her feet intelligence. Galar was supposedly known as a cold, unfeeling Warlord who after meeting Jessica, turned into as soft and gentle as any male in love. I loved how he took care of her. After her initial terror at finding herself inexplicably in the future, Galar downloaded the proper procedures into making her transition as smooth as possible. He took her on a 'date' surrounded by familiar foods and scenary and tries to sooth away all her fears. His fellow agents are astounded by Galar's change of personality with Jessica. Even though Angela Knight employs the dreaded Trust Issues device as a plot between them, they both get over it fairly quickly. In fact, Galar even asks her why she forgave him so easily and after thinking about it, Jessica replies that after having grown up as poor white trash, she didn't feel she deserved any better. I thought Jessica's answer was simple and heartfelt. It was surprisingly insightful into her character and it's possibly what drives her to help out wherever she can. I hope Angela Knight continues this series of Warlords/TimeHunters and Soon!

I found this book absolutely out of this world! The sex was steamy, the concepts of time fascinating, and Jessica's "mutations" a pleasant twist. There are a large amount of questions still unanswered by the end of the story, but I think that is kinda the best part. The problem with most series is that after the first one, there is so little incentive to read the next. This one leaves me intrigued and eager to pick up Enforcer as soon as it is released.

Great action and adventure! Starts right off with intriguing characters and strange assassins. Knight finally returns to Jane's Warlord, with time traveling assassins and warriors. This one occuring in present day and traveling into the future. The characters are endearing and the Warrior is HOT! Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for the next one.

Ok first off this was so much better than her Mageverse series (which I kind of liked at first and then it went nowhere fast) but I think Knight is at her best when writing futuristic stories.

Time travel explanations usually blow my mind, but Knight kept the explanation pretty simple, so even I could understand it. I think...

Jessica was a little annoying occasionally, but overall I liked her. She has to deal with the fact that she can't return to her old life (which was pretty crappy anyway if you ask me so I'm glad she didn't cry over it for the entire book), she has to adjust to future technology, and she has a crazy killer after her and nobody can figure out why he wants her dead. Not to mention the fact she is developing some very weird powers that even the futuristic people don't believe are possible (Come on! Time travel, aliens, and engineered warriors are totally normal but a chick with telekinesis is too far out there, so it can't possibly be real?!?)

Galar is strong, capable, and seen as one tough dude. An issue from his past gives him the dreaded Trust Issues . Usually that "conflict" will drive me up the wall, viewing all women the same just because one used and betrayed you because she was a crazy B doesn't mean all women are like that!! Luckily Galar sees that Jessica is different and even when events occur that make him doubt her, it tears him up inside. The wanting to trust her, and the not wanting to endanger his people again, are shown as a huge conflict within him that (and bless Knight for this) only lasts through a handful of pages before being resolved.

I mean, come on! You can only suspect a girl for so long before you finally have to look at the FACTS, and them admit you were stupid and move on. I did think Jessica forgave and forgot pretty quickly... I'm not sure if it's just because I'm used to heroine going all emo over it and dragging it out FOREVER or if it really was a fast turn around from "He's broken my heart! Why doesn't he trust me?" to "I love the big lug, trust is overrated!"

Jessica and Galar fell for each other pretty fast, but I could see why they did. Jessica was so alone in a strange world and Galar became her rock. For Galar, Jessica was so different from the women of his time, and her complete emotional honesty was just what he needed. Which I guess when all added together becomes hot sex. Who knew?!

We're left with a lot of questions about the series in general by the end of the book. Which was disappointing but understandable, it is a series after all but STILL a few answers would have been nice. What is that snow globe thingie? What's with all the tests? Why can't I find a release date for the next book??

The characters are set up nicely for the next installment and I'm looking forward to their story... then we'll get some answers. Right? Please?

redundant, but ok. problem with disks not ejecting which is not a normal event with other cd's. too much time spent in bed, booorrring.

Brilliant book -- and better in audio (I bought the MP3 disc). Susan Ericksen is fantastic with her voice acting, and I can't think of Eve Dallas in any other voice any more. Wonderful product! Collecting the whole series now, on disc!

I love this series... you must read it to understand. It's all about a homicide detective named Lt. Eve Dallas and how she goes about solving a case which always seems imposibble to solve at first.

J. D. Robb's "In Death" series is one of the best that I have read and listened to. Susan Ericksen is fantastic as the narrator. Her individual characterizations for Eve, Roarke, Peabody, Finney, etc., makes the audio rendition of this series a must-buy and a collection keeper. Though the audio series started midway through the book series, having Susan Ericksen as the narrator throughout the audio editions means that there is very little deviation in the individual characterizations. Instead, the character consistencies make for a more enjoyable "listen" especially if done consecutively. I have all of the unabridged audios and listen to them often! (jsiobhanlei - 1/5/07)

I've read most of the books in this series and I have to tell you that this one really made the series take off! The reader is welcomed into the lives of these characters with more depth and meaning than ever before. The story itself (The dating service and the serial killer) lends to enough suspense to keep the reader on the edge of the seat, but when one of "our own" (Peabody) goes undercover, you feel the fear akin to one of your own loved ones putting herself at risk.

An excellent story with quite an unexpected ending. I would recommend this series HIGHLY!

Generally I find Janet Evanovich's books to be very entertaining. I love the Plum series and recommend it. This book, however is just OK. I think that Evanovich jumps in to the attraction between Hank and Maggie way too soon. I really think that there should have been some time in there before their relationship started to blossum. It would have made the book a lot more interesting. I do have to say that parts of it are hilarious. I think that the housekeeper, Elsie Hawkins is a very strong character. She reminds me a lot of grandma from the Plum series.

Amusing, lightweight fun. Almost a novella, but the printer and publisher have stretched it to book size. If it had a bit more depth or plot to it, I would have given it another star.

Local bad boy Hank inherits an apple orchard and wants to turn over a new leaf. In order to realize his dream and go organic he needs a loan, but the whole town knows his history and he can't raise the funds. He wants to look responsible, he needs to be taken seriously...he needs a wife! Not a real one of course, just to get the loan, so he hires Maggie from New Jersey as a "pretend wife" for six months. She wants time to write a book from her aunt's diaries, so it seems the perfect business arrangement. Of course, they fall madly in love, but she isn't sure if she wants to stay at the end of the agreed term. It is all terribly predictable. In essence, a bit more of a teenage novel than one written for adults. It also seems a bit dated. Hank needs to grow up and take responsibility for his actions to be taken seriously, so who would think he had achieved stability just because he pulled a wife out of the hat? Okay, it is a ludicrous plot, so you have to disregard that to enjoy the juvenile, slip on a banana skin, style fun.

In the characters you can see the prototypes for later Evanovich stalwarts - Elsie Hawkins is definitely Grandma Mazur, packing a gun, after a hunk (all about 80+ and dying from the excitement) and she even drives the same car as Grandma Mazur later inherited from a relative in one of the Plum books.

A couple of weeks after reading it, I am finding it hard to recall much of the story and the names of some of the characters, which says quite a bit about it.

Janet Evanovich's work all has a similar feel to it. That is not necessarily bad, but it means it doesn't matter if you skip a book or two because you will get pretty much the same dialog and situations in another book. This was originally written for a publisher of Romance books, so of course it has the predictable happy ending, which you knew from page one.

You'll read it in a couple of hours, tops. There are a few laughs in it, and it is not nearly as contrived as the later books in the Plum series, but nor is it up to the standard of the first few Plums. These early Evanovich books are being republished as there is money to be made from the Evanovich name. Janet has her whole family employed at Evanovich Inc, which means she has to squeeze everything she can from her back catalog and current publications. If people are prepared to buy it why not? It probably also accounts for the tacky merchandise she hawks as well.

To be honest, if it had been written by an unknown author it would have never have been republished. Fans of Evanovich will probably buy it, and although it is an okay book, I doubt if anyone else would, and she wouldn't get new fans on the back of this book. I wouldn't pay the publisher's list price for it.

Janet Evanovich books are so much fun to read. Wife for Hire is so funny, and can be read so quickly it feels as though you have just watched a little television show. She is quickly becoming my favorite author. Highly reccomend.

A friend recommended I read Janet E's book. I was reluctant, simply because she's so overrated (too commercial, I thought). Boy was I happily surpirsed! A fan for life!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down! It's fun and light reading.

The Twilight Saga is one of my favorite series. I started this series reluctantly by being encouraged to read Twilight by a friend. I checked it out of my local library and knew that I had to own it. Half way through, I queued up New Moon and Eclipse to start immediately upon completion. I then waited for the arrival of Breaking Dawn, which I completed the weekend it was released.

I have all the books on this series in audio and 3 in print, but I have to say, I prefer the audio by far. Ilayana Kadushin does a fabulous job giving Bella a voice and adds so much more depth and emotion to the story than I could personally get from print. Matt Walters is introduced as Jacob in the Epilogue in Eclipse and Book 2 of Breaking Dawn. He also does a great job of giving Jacob a voice.

As for the series itself, I loved it. Twilight, Eclipse are my favorites in this series, followed by New Moon and Breaking Dawn. I won't give an overview of the plot of each of the books as I won't be able to do them justice individually with limited words. I will summarize series as a whole by saying the first 3 in this series are really about love, conflict, choices with a little bit of the supernatural and some action involved. The last look in this series takes an unexpected turn and is more of a fantasy type novel with a little romance - different than what was laid out in the previous three books.

Breaking Dawn seemed to be received with more mixed reviews than the previous three because it deviated from the format laid out in the previous books. I had some mixed feelings about the story because of this, but I still enjoyed it.

This is a fabulous series that is aimed at young adults (mostly female) but has held the interest of adults like myself, and a smaller male audience as well. While the last book in this series is quite a bit different than the previous 3, its still one of my favorite series.

It's not a literary masterpiece and certainly has flaws, but the story laid out out and the world created are absoultely fascinating and highly entertaining. This is why is I think it deserves 5 stars....as well as the readers of the audio version. Great performances.

The audio version is definetly worth the extra expense. If you loved the Twilight Saga, this is a must have in my opinion.

This book is very sexually explicit.
If that bothers you than steer clear of buying it.

I loved it! It was great to read a 'no holds barred'..raunchy and very sexy honest book.
I thought the author created 2 real characters with great dialogue and storyline.
There is no excuse or reason given here for the amazing sex these two women delve into - there shouldn't be.
I'm so glad Bold stroke published this one and didn't hide her in one of their collection books.
Way to go Meghan! Can't wait for your next one.

This book is great if you don't mind books without character development or plots. I was very disappointed.

I read this book in one morning. It is very well written and very steamy. You will not want to put this book down. I have recomended this book to all my friends. I will not let anyone borrow it or sell it because it is definately a book I plan on reading over and over.

Since there is a description of the book and others have written about it also, I'll skip that and just say: This book is so hot it will scorch the eyes right out of your skull! What a pleasant surprise. I have never read anything by this author and ordered it on a whim (desperate for something good to read). The description intrigued me enough and am I ever glad I took a chance. I've since ordered Infinite Loop by the same author, but haven't started it yet.

I loved the characters and was sucked into the story from the opening line (and if you've read it already, you know what I mean *wink wink*). Considering almost the first half of the book takes place in an elevator, with only the two main characters present, I was very impressed by the author's ability to keep my interest. I am one of those readers who tend to skip over things that don't look important, but I read every single word in this one (some parts I read more than once).

This is erotica with a bit of kink thrown in for good measure. Excellent read and I can't wait to read more by Meghan O'Brien! Highly recommended!

There are already many reviews which list the virtues of the book in terms of hot, hotter, and hottest. And they are all true! Hot it is!

I'd just like to add that it's a dynamic, entertaining read, and the one reason I'm not rating it 5 stars is because it's a bit two-dimensional for my tastes. Personally, I don't think the characters are so very well developed per se, what's fantastically well developed is their sexual persona, which happens practically within a bubble (and I'm not talking about the elevator!), there are no friends to contextualize the relationship, their "work" world is referred to but never brought to the forefront, the family angle is barely touched upon but not really explored...

I did have a LOT of fun with it, and I really do recommend this book for hot, fast-paced enjoyment, but in my humble opinion 5 starring a book requires a bit of extra work in terms of "rounding up" the story.

A Great and Terrible Beauty was the first and best book in this series, but the final two books in the trilogy (including this one as #2) are great as well. They are a little sexy for young advanced readers, but only in a very few parts. These books are definitely worth reading.

I enjoyed this book. It was a bit longer than I expected (550 pages seems like a lot for a young adult read); however, the writing was simple and easy to follow, so it didn't become tedious. The plot was very nicely designed. I enjoyed the first book as well, but this one was even better. This book is a worthy addition to the Gemma Doyle saga.

Rebel Angels is the wonderful sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty. A gulped up AGATB in two gulps, and RA in the same way. I enjoy this book series emensely, yet at the same time find them annyoing. I always seem to find qualms with ther hundreds of books I read each year, and this one is no exception. But don't totally forsake this book if you read this review: Rebel Angels is beautifully written, and Libba Bray is a great writer. But no work is ever perfect....

Qualm Number 1: I am a true romantic. Although I would never read downright romance novels, I love that little bit of love and denial in each book I read; I come to expect it. But I was so mad that Kartik and Gemma didn't get together in this book. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM? Kartik is so obviously crazy about Gemma, and she chooses to ignore him, sit in her little realm world, la la la I can't her you. And what she said to him was unintentionally mean, but he should have gotten over it, since love is endless. Personally, I would already have them together in the first book...but that's just me. But Kartik sounds like such a nice guy, you know? I have the absurd tendency to fall in love with characters, and Kartik joins Percy Jackson and Edward Cullen in this department. Why can't Gemma realize that? WHY? Ok, ranting over on that subject. I am not crazt haha :)

Moving on....
Qualm Number 2: Is it just me, or does it seem like Felicity and Ann are using Gemma? I think that they are, just to get to the realms. Felicity wants the power and to see Pippa, and Ann just wants to be beautiful. They really don't have those experiences friends have. When Gemma finds out about Felicity's past abuses Felicity doesn't cry on her shoulder; she just gets all amd. And Ann...although I liked how she lied about her family, I thought that was too out of character for her. Felicity is so pushing her to be what she is not. And what about Pippa? In the last book she seemed like she had multiple-personalities, and in RA too. One minute she is nice, the next whiny, althoug that might be the realms I don't know. Felicity also treats her weird, one minute Gemma's best friend and the next Pippa's. The whole friendship aspect is a little crazy.

Qualm Number 3: SPOILER!!!! I knew Miss Moore was Circe since AGATB, so that was very predicatble. I was a little sad though. She seemed really nice. :(

Ok, so I loved this book with a passion, and it is now on the sacred bookshelf in my room. I'm getting the sequel, The Sweet Far Thing, so soon as I can. So if you need a book to read, read this one. It's scary at times, but I was enraputured 24/7. Go get it now!!!

Second in the Gemma Doyle trilogy.

When she held Circe at bay and destroyed the runes at the end of A Great and Terrible Beauty, Gemma loosed the power of the realms and made the magic available to anyone in the realms.

Now she has been given the task to find the Temple and bind the magic. Kartik and the Order have their own plans for the magic of the realm and Gemma finds herself caught between them.

Meanwhile, Circe is still on the loose and Pippa refuses to pass as she should. Dark things are awakening within the realms and fighting to control the magic. As Gemma struggles to set things right, she has only the ravings of a mad girl to guide her.

Set against the backdrop of Victorian society, this gothic tale combines historical fiction with fantasy. Readers will be riveted by this well-paced mystery filled with authentic details of Victorian life.

(daughter of user)
Well, I found Rebel Angels to be a slightly better book than A Great and Terrible Beauty. It added to the characters and explained them more, which was very good. Personally, I liked Simon much more than Kartik. I don't know why, but I haven't been able to like his character quite yet. Simon was a gentleman and very sweet. Maybe I just liked him because I want to be adored by a sweet gentleman the way Gemma was adored by him, I don't really know. I was a bit sad that Gemma(SPOILER ALERT) didn't pick him in the end. I understand why she couldn't though. Over all, Rebel Angels was a great book and I'll be rushing to buy the next in the series.

that I did not like considering I been reading her stuff since I was 11 & am now 30 that says a lot but just because I didn't like this 1 doesn't mean I will not continue 2 purchase her books :)

As always Jackie comes through again with a great book! As always full of excitement and great writing. We expect no less from her.

Though she throws in a few cameos of characters from previous books, Jackie Collins pulls us into a new sphere with new characters in this novel. Cameron Paradise is a personal trainer with dreams. After escaping her abusive husband in Hawaii, Cameron is working at an exclusive club in LA with an ever-increasing stable of satisfied clients. The newest is talk show sensation Don Verona, a handsome Lothario who immediately becomes intrigued with Cameron when she deflects his advances. Don's best friends are successful screenwriter Phil Specter, a philanderer with a retired movie star wife who wants to restart her career, and Ryan Lambert, an unhappily married indie movie producer whose wife is the daughter of megabucks blockbuster producer Hamilton Heckerling. Ryan started his marriage enthusiastically enough, but over the past few years, Mandy has become more and more unbearable with her Hollywood snobbery and refusal to accept his family. Ryan starts thinking about divorce, but every time he tries to bring it up, circumstances put a stop to his plans.

Cameron is enjoying her early morning sessions with the charming Don Verona, and even though she keeps turning him down, she finds herself intrigued. That she and Ryan Lambert fall instantly in love when they meet complicates things, but since Ryan is married and off limits anyway, Cameron allows herself to be charmed by Don while she and her friend Cole quit their jobs to start their own fitness center. Cameron is so distracted by her unexpected and unwanted feelings for Ryan, it slips her mind to tell Don about her not-quite ex-husband Gregg, but Gregg has not forgotten about her.

It's business as usual in Tinseltown. The one exception is the dark and tragic Anya, who was orphaned at a young age and watched her fate slide from bad to worse at the hands of depraved men and women who would steal her humanity. She's quite a contrast to the other, smoothly glittering characters, but her story in particular really drives the book and gives it depth.

Jackie Collins may not be synonymous with classics, but her books always make me keep turning the pages to find out what will happen next. She also writes with a well-honed sense of irony that always makes me chuckle. Her books are always good, but this one was exceptional, the best she's written in years.

This is one of the best books ive read in a long time. It's an easy summer read, i couldnt put it down. Good suspense, great intense romance, an all around clever read for a day by the pool.

1ST off all of the main characters were all great and interesting,some writers are guilty of writing books with lots of characters to keep people interested in the book and what you end up getting is a whole mess of people and you wonder why are they in the book. Well Jackie isn't guilty, all of her characters made the story jive and they all played important parts in it,loved how she linked them all together ....and the storyline WOW...I loved jackie's brain in this book. very wonderful i would highly recommend it. it's a definate page turner and you'll love it until the very end. the only thing i wish is that she couldve written a steamy sex scene for cameron and ryan, other than that this book is SMACKALICIOUS..smack your mother good. Her characters have such character. LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT!