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aprillee

aprillee

I LOVE reading!!!

BA in English Literature, Mount Holyoke College
BA/MA in History, Oxford University
BFA in Illustration, Art Center College of Design
Profession: Artist-Illustrator

Favorite genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Mystery (Historical), Fiction (Historical), Romance (Historical), Horror (Vampire,... more »
  • Los Angeles, CA, USA
  • member since August 20 2007

Reviews

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Displaying 21-30 of 66 reviews
  • Silent On The Moor
    • Rated 4 stars

    “In this third book of Victorian suspense featuring Lady Julia Grey (and you should read the first two before this one, even though the story here can stand on its own), Julia finds herself in a very Gothic, Romantic, Mysterious, Bronte-esque tale set in a lonely half-ruined mansion on the Yorkshire Moors. Julia's sister Portia had agreed to help the enigmatic detective, Nicholas Brisbane, sort out his newly acquired mansion, Grimsgrave, and Julia, drawing on her newfound determination to truly live life, insists on going with her to determine where she stands with Brisbane once and for all.

    Of course, the old mansion is chock full of mystery, secrets and all sorts of nastiness that is very slowly unraveled. There are the remnants of a proud and ancient family who were the former owners of the place, a profligate son who was an avid Egyptologist with a scandal in his past and a collection of artifacts, there are surly villagers, tales of a drowned village with a bell that rings to herald the imminent death of one of the members of the old family, there are gypsies with healing draughts and ties to Brisbane's past... And there is the mystery of Brisbane, himself. What is he doing at the run-down mansion? Why is he avoiding Julia, or pushing her away--while at the same time engaging in the occasional fervent embrace and kiss?

    The mystery plot is complex and detailed and slow to develop, but suits the brooding atmosphere. It does build to an exciting climax and then the denouement continues to be revealed bit by bit, again, as the book draws to an end. The romantic plot is also slow to build, pacing along with the mystery, and intertwined with it, particularly as it intersects with Brisbane's past.

    The tone and subjects of each of the Lady Julia Grey books have varied greatly, the first being more typical Victorian Mystery/Suspense, the second a cozy murder mystery set in an English Mansion. This exploration into the territory of _Wuthering Heights_ and _Jane Eyre_ seemed to work well considering Brisbane's gypsy background and Rochester and Heathcliff-like personality. I have enjoyed seeing Julia's confidence grow during the first two books. Unfortunately there were a few times in this book where she behaves like a typical flighty romance heroine, saying she'll stay forever one moment and ready to pack her bags and flee the next. And sometimes her intelligence seems questionable, but thankfully, at the end she's back to her confident and well-reasoned self. The mystery was better as an atmospheric backdrop than an actual puzzle since it seemed a little obvious to me towards the end. But thankfully, the romantic elements finally emerge at the end to create a fine conclusion.”

    aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Darkest Kiss
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Lucien has been bound to the demon of Death ever since he loosed the demons of Pandora's Box and was so punished by the Greek gods. He feels responsible to the other guardsmen he led into being similarly cursed. They all used to be ruled by their demons but have, over the centuries, gained some control over them. However, they are still harried by human Hunters who regard them as totally evil and demonic. They are on the trail of Pandora's Box, in hopes that it will once again keep the demons locked away and will free them from their curse.

    Anya is the minor goddess of Anarchy and she's obsessed by Lucien. She doesn't want to have sex with him or to fall in love with him, even though she pursues him wearing lacy underwear and wants to feel his hands all over her... This isn't the only weird contradiction with these characters, who are undoubtedly messed up. Anya has her own curse and her issues with her mother who had her own problems, plus being goddess of Anarchy, which makes her want to cause chaos and upheaval and destruction.

    When Lucien is ordered to kill Anya, or risk his friends suffering, he feels he has to do it. So if you like very crazy relationships like this, sort of a weird take on Mr. and Mrs. Smith admiring each other's massive weaponry between the deep kisses, this may be your kind of book. I found Anya contrary and weirdly motivated, very trashy (even though Lucien thought her beautiful and angelic--but then you know what he was thinking with!), sucking on lollipops and acting like a hurt child, and having fun by chaining Lucien up or otherwise humiliating him.

    Not that Lucien can't use some light fun in his life (huh!), but that just shows how bizarre their relationship is, that she might actually be good for him!

    The other events, involving other characters, were interesting, as was the search for the artifacts that might help find Pandora's Box. I didn't greatly dislike Anya's character--just found her annoying, inconsistent, and trashy--which made me question Lucien's taste, but there did seem to be chemistry, so who can fight that?

    It wasn't a horrible book. I finished it. It was OK. ”

    aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Heaven Sent 2
    • Rated 5 stars

    “The remaining two band members of Heaven Sent find true love in this sequel:

    "Hell"-- Brent is the tall, dark, taciturn guitarist. He's not flashy like lead-singer Johnnie, or like Luc, who is his best friend. In fact, he feels seriously second-rate, particularly when Luc was using him as a convenient lover while calling him by Reese's name before finally getting together with Reese. When the band gets a new member, keyboardist Heller "Hell" Witting, a gorgeous young man with purple hair like a living anime character, who is furthermore a dedicated musician whom Brent can relate to musically--and who seems very interested in Brent, Brent fears he's not worthy.

    "Faith"-- Darien's the friendly, talkative, energetic drummer of the band. He's enjoyed all the hot women chasing the band, but is beginning to notice the lack of a partner truly in love with him as all his band-mates and best friends find their soul-mates. He's never been interested in a man before, but there's something about Christopher Faith, the serious lawyer, a friend of Hell's, who is handing his divorce...

    Darien seemed one of the least interesting of the band, but in his own story he is a forthright, honest and uncomplicated guy with a good heart and a very open mind, and very appealing for it. And it's fun that he's attracted to such an opposite type! The whole 'never had a man before' is pure fantasy, but it works here.

    Brent is not quite as interesting as I thought he'd be, but still it's a fun little tale with the lovely but improbably pursuit by the diminutive Hell. I have to love Hell for being so persistent... jealousy and all.

    Both stories were lots of fun-- and sweet and moving. Total fluff, of course, but hey, it's nice to have fairy tales of true love and rock stars --and hot m/m sex! If you liked the first Heaven Sent book, you should enjoy this one. ”

    aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Warded Man
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Demons rise during the night, preying on mankind and men who are unable to adequately fight back and have no known weapons that will kill demons. Villages and cities are gradually are being worn down with people huddling behind weak wards (runes of some kind that can form barriers) that sometimes keep the demons away. (I wonder what the demons will eat when mankind IS finally wiped out? Apparently it's not a concern of demons, who seem mostly unthinking, voracious beings.) Ages past, mankind had learned to deal with the demons through magical means--wards and weapons that could actually kill demons instead of just keep them away; but after the demons were defeated, an age of science and technology rose and the magic was lost and demons forgotten. Then the demons returned and no tech could harm them, and mankind was thrust back into dark ages of no tech. They have only regained the ability to make weak wards and everything in the past is just legends.

    Three young people are featured, growing up and having to cope with this harsh world. Arlen is from a small village where attacks and deaths are a nightly occurrence. Even at eleven years old, he is frustrated that men just cower in their homes, waiting to be attacked. He thinks there must be something to the past legends of ways to defeat the demons. This comes to a head when his father will not step beyond the wards even to help his mother who has been caught beyond the wards by demons.

    Leesha is a girl awaiting adulthood and marriage, also in a small village. She, also, comes to believe there should be more that could and must be done. She's introduced to a wider world by apprenticing to the village Herbalist-Healer.

    Rojer's story starts when he's three years old. A traveling Jongleur is visiting when demons break through the wards. The man cowardly pushes all aside to squeeze into the small safe space and Rojer is orphaned as well as maimed, losing two fingers.

    Much of the book concerns Arlen's early life (and Leesha's too) and beyond establishing some world-building, it can be somewhat slow-moving and not seemingly pertinent to moving the plot forward. Disconcertingly, when things start developing later on there are more gaps in time. This speeds up the plot, but seems to leave interesting bits out. The three characters do not come together until towards the end of the book. The book ends with: End Book I. There is a decent arc concluded before then, so that's not quite so frustrating as it might be. Overall, the first part was not terribly compelling, the characters were sympathetic, but still somewhat distant and their lives not that interesting. Things did pick up, though, but then, as I said, time was skipped to move things forward. It seemed uneven in that respect. But still, not a bad read.”

    aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Heart's Desire (The Heart's series) (Harlequin Historical, No 211)Heart's Desire (The Heart's series) (Harlequin Historical, No 211)Gayle Wilson
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Lady Emily Harland is a strong young woman who has experienced a number of things in life. She's followed her father and brothers to the Peninsula, hastily marrying Lord Harland in order to do so; she's then widowed, lost two older brothers to the war and has had a harrowing trip back to England with her father and her badly wounded younger brother. But even her seemingly indomitable strength and compassion are tested when she meets the cold, sardonic Dominic Maitland, Duke of Avon.

    Dominic is secretly working with Emily's father who is a former field general but now working at the War Department. Disabled from birth and unable to do his duty to his country any other way, he's created and run an important spy network compiling crucial information about the enemy, only there seems to be a traitor leaking information and killing couriers. Dominic has led a hard and solitary life: his father had always despised him, sent him away to a harsh school to fend for himself without visits home or even an allowance and had told Dominic his defect was hereditary and he's a disgrace to his name. Dominic has learned to cope by vowing to survive despite his father, but to never love or have children. He is strangely tempted to ignore his vows because of the lovely--and persistent--Emily, but does his best to keep her away, and he's very good at what he does.

    Emily's invalid brother, Devon, needs something to work on, however, and Avon could use his sharp mind to try and figure out who the traitor is, so Emily has opportunity to try and find out if Dominic will ever allow love into his life.

    Dominic is definitely a tortured hero. His words and actions are often brutal, whether hunting down traitors or keeping others away. This is no light, fluffy romance, rather it's full of hints of the harsher realities of war and injury and the state of medical care, the cruelties of society, a traitor who doesn't hesitate to kill or sell out his country. Dominic and Emily love each other, but their path is far from smooth and both make very human errors that cause pain. The characters are well-drawn and their feelings and trials are carefully related so that you feel their joys and anxiousness and pain. Parts of this book made me tear up, which was a good thing, since it meant I was really feeling for these characters. It was definitely one of the more memorable romances I've read lately, which is also a good thing since many books I'll read and forget about right after.”

    aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Ever Yours (Zebra Historical Romance)
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Ivy St. Clair is surprised by a mysterious bequest by Lord Stanhope, a man whom she has never met. He's left her some property if she will deliver a package to the reclusive Earl of Tamberlake. Eager to get away from her demanding parents and self-centered sister, she and her brother travel to Wales to deliver the package.

    Auburn Seaton, Earl of Tamberlake is known as the Monster Earl after a carriage accident and fire leaves his face disfigured and his leg badly broken. Even hidden behind a mask, people fear to look at him--including his own mother, his fiancée has cried off and married another, so he's happily retired from society. The sudden arrival of Ivy and her brother and her house-keeper/companion---and the breakdown of their carriage, forcing them to remain, is an unwelcome imposition on Auburn's peace and quiet.

    The story is a classic Beauty and the Beast, with plucky Ivy seeing the good and humanity behind the scars. Auburn is brusque at first, but slowly comes around to Ivy's charms and begins to see that all of society can't be so shallow and heartless. But Ivy is already betrothed to another, someone her parents found and insist she marry for her father's political advantage and so her younger sister can be free to look for someone to marry--and Ivy is abruptly called back to London before she and Auburn can settle upon other plans.

    How will Auburn manage to get Ivy out of her betrothal? Will he return to brave the society that rejected him years ago? Will Ivy's heart stay true for him?

    There are some interesting secondary characters who help round out the tale, notably Ivy's brother, who is a good friend in misery to her. Ivy's parents are sketched well enough to be suitably obnoxious, but believable. Auburn's Mother turns out to be more than uni-dimensional, which is a nice surprise. The former fiancée reappears and has a bit of depth. Even brief cameos such as one of Auburn's former friends turns out to have quite a bit of character, along with the dead Lord Stanhope in his role of match-maker, finding a perfect mate that would bring his friend Auburn out of seclusion.

    There's a bit of mystery and danger towards the end, as if the plot needed something more. Some readers have found the main conflict--that of Ivy's betrothal-- unbelievable, but it seemed reasonable enough to me since betrothals weren't broken without scandal. I thought the plot was handled well enough and many details were nicely tied up. All in all, it was a very satisfying read.”

    aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Heaven Sent: Heaven and Purgatory
    • Rated 4 stars

    “This is two stories in one volume involving members of a famous rock band and their yaoi-ish, male/male romances (along with hot sex, of course)--

    "Heaven"-- Tyler's father is dying of cancer and the family's hotel is in danger of failing. He hopes that his plans to launch a nightclub will revive their fortunes. As one of the original fans of the now famous rock group, Heaven Sent, he is able to book them for the club's opening. The future is unknown, but what Tyler also doesn't know is that the band's lead singer, Johnnie Heaven, may be more interested in the quiet, conscientious Tyler than all the eager groupies and glamorous women who are willing to throw themselves into his bed.

    The worldly and confident Johnnie won't let anything stand in the way of his desires. He's got a powerful and engaging personality. Tyler is definitely a bit of a doormouse, but appeals in his everyman kind of way. This is pure and glorious fantasy all the way, with a beautiful man who is sexually adept and yet also sweet and loving--loving of women and men, but ready to go entirely with his heart when it comes to love, despite all obstacles; and with the other man totally unaware of attraction to men before the "right one" comes along. It's a fun, light guilty pleasure.

    "Purgatory"-- Luc, Heaven Sent's bass-player, is nearly a match for lead-singer Johnnie as far as being sex-on-wheels. His tastes run similarly to his friend's, even so far as the quiet, attractive Tyler who has become Johnnie's great love. Luc also thinks he's ready to settle down with his own true love, only the one he is considering is an old friend from his past whom he had rejected before he had discovered that gay sex wasn't out of the question. Reese used to be a friend of the band, years ago, but after Luc's rejection and with the band out of his life and onto the big-time, he's gone on with is life, leaving the old ways far behind. He's now a school teacher and living on the very straight and narrow. Heaven Sent returns for a special engagement in their home town--and the wedding of Reese's sister, a former friend and girlfriend of one of the band-- and Luc is suddenly, insistently back in Reese's life... and putting Reese's job in jeopardy.

    This is another sweet and somewhat bittersweet romantic tale. Reality intrudes with the pressures on Reese to conform and to be straight, and with the rejection Reese experienced as a youth. But we can hope all turns out for the best!

    The writing is good overall. The characters and situations well enough sketched to thoroughly engage and leave you wanting more. This isn't rocket-science, but it's good, pop-corn-lovin' fun.”

    aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Alehouse Murders: A Templar Knight Mystery (Templar Knight Mysteries)
    • Rated 4 stars

    “The town of Lincoln, England, in the year 1200, is preparing for its big summer Fair. The discovery of four dead bodies in one of the alehouses is definitely not good for custom. Lady Nicholaa de la Haye is the castellan of Lincoln Castle, responsible to the king for its security, so she will oversee the investigation. While her husband, Gerard Camville, is the sheriff, he has his hands full keeping the peace among the roads and the folk coming in for the fair--and he'd truly rather be off hunting. Ernulf, Lady Nicholaa's loyal serjeant of the castle's men-at-arms goes with Sir Bascot de Marins to the alehouse.

    Bascot is a Templar, temporarily on loan to Lady Nicholaa's household. He is still recovering from maiming injuries and weakness having recently escaped eight years of torture and slavery after being captured by the Infidels while on crusade in the Holy Land. He is also questioning his vocation in the Order and the head of the Templars in Lincoln has lent him to Lady Nicholaa while he recovers, hoping Bascot will eventually revive his faith and rejoin his fellows. Helping to seek out the murderer of the victims in the alehouse gives him something challenging to occupy his mind while he recovers and sorts things out.

    The murders pose an intriguing puzzle as two of the victims are strangers to the town and have no connection to the alehouse keeper nor to the fourth victim, one of the town's Jews. And very soon, a priest is stabbed, and he seems to have no connection, either. The mystery, at first of the identities of the victims and what actually happened in the alehouse, is twisting and complex, and things only build from there, involving more people and possible plots and plans. Clues are dropped and gradually things are revealed, but it should be difficult to pin down the solution until the very end.

    Details and description of medieval life and relationships and society seem well-portrayed and integrated with the plot and characterizations. The characters are well-drawn and interesting. All in all, this seemed a satisfying first in what should be an interesting series.”

    aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Standish
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Standish is a beautiful manor house that looms large in the minds of the remnants of the Standish family who now live almost in its shadow. Ambrose Standish has grown up knowing only of the loss of Standish by his grandfather in a game of cards. His father raised him to be a gentleman-scholar with knowledge of no trade or profession, so now Ambrose and his sisters are struggling to survive. When he hears that the descendant of the evil Goshawk family who 'stole' the house and living from him is finally coming to live in the manor, he's prepared to hate him. Unfortunately, Rafe Goshawk is in need of a tutor for his young son and Ambrose is qualified for nearly nothing else and desperately needs the income.

    Ambrose, young and sheltered and innocent, is also unprepared to resist the worldly, powerful, wealthy, sardonic Rafe Goshawk, who attracts male lovers easily and is determined to conquer the unsuspecting Ambrose. Rafe, a man who seems to have everything and who is at the top of his game, has a dark and troubled past that still rears its head in nightmares and will affect his future life and relationships. And, indeed, trouble is ahead, through travel to the Continent and back to the depths of an English prison.

    The setting is the Regency, but this is far from a comedy of manners. The tone and the style of the writing feels very old fashioned. Ambrose is sometimes a bit too much the Victorian woman in peril, but his character does mature, thankfully. Rafe is a compelling hero, almost a romantic stereotype of an alpha-male rake, but with tragic flaws. His emotional story actually makes internal sense, his actions understandable in some ways, but also incomprehensible in other respects. The style and the characterization have their appeal if you like darker, somewhat gothic, tales and drama between emotionally damaged characters. I don't mind this, but it did seem to put the story and the characters at a distance and keep me from becoming wholly sympathetic to them. The tale does remain enough of an interesting page-turner, particularly to those who love a nineteenth-century sensibility, along with the more modern inclusion of sex scenes-- and can stand some non-consenting sex-- all male/male, and a fair bit of angst.”

    aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Entwined
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Nice wounded hero book. Not the best I've read, but OK.

    Nathan Paget, Marquess of Oriel, has returned from the Napoleonic war injured and without his best friend... and it seems as if someone knows about the spy network he was involved in and is out to murder everyone involved, one by one. Nathan has kept his disability a secret from everyone, so when he's asked to return to London to help seek the killer, he knows he needs help.

    Isobel MacLeod has a thoroughly disreputable family--she finds herself acting as secretary to Nathan as a result of her drunken father's thievery. ”

    aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
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