"Everyone Loves a Hero" by Marie Force

Title: "Everyone Loves a Hero...and that's the problem"
Author: Marie Force
Published: 2011 *ARC Review for Sourcebooks*
Genre: Romance

Synopsis: In this sexy contemporary romance release by author Marie Force, a pilot averts a plane crash and becomes a reluctant national hero. But how can he convince the love of his life-a beautiful art student who works at the airport kiosk-of his faithfulness when women fall all over him wherever he goes?
Cole Langston hadn't planned on becoming a national hero. What else was he supposed to do when his co -pilot suffered a heart attack mid-flight, let the man die and the plane crash during a blizzard? Now every time he's recognized, women throw themselves at him, but none of them seem genuine...
Airport kiosk cashier Olivia Robison is stunned when the "Snow Angel" comes to her aid with an unruly customer, and is speechless when a month later Cole comes back to the airport looking for her. Their attraction is hot and heavy, but so are the women watching Cole's every move! Olivia has never felt so connected and true to herself with anyone like she has with Cole... Can this new couple survive the scrutiny of the public eye?

*mild spoilers*

In a word: unrealistic

Unfortunately I didn't care for this romance. It was the most unrealistic romance I have ever read. The "hero" Cole was beyond perfect - there isn't a man on earth who could compare to him. He was a combination of Gandhi, Mother Teresa and skilled porn star. When he wasn't defending defenseless women, he was landing planes in blizzards while doing CPR on the heart attack victim captain (thus saving hundreds of lives) and in his spare time he flies terminally ill children and their family's around the globe for life saving treatments. Had there been a water scene I have no doubt Cole would have walked on water so perfect was he.

Cole is supposed to be a womanizer- that's what the author *tells* us, but what she shows us is that Cole is the victim of his own phenomenal good looks and Mother Teresa personality. He can't help it women throw themselves at his feet, he's just the most perfect male walking the earth.

Poor Olivia...until Cole comes along she's got a miserable existence. She is a 27 year old virgin slugging her way through college (still) and working a no-where part time job while living with her parents (still). Cole comes into her life and suddenly the clouds part and the sun shines down upon her making her life perfection - after all, Cole is Mr. Perfect so he must have a girlfriend with a perfect life to match his.

After spending less than 12 minutes together these two are madly "I wanna have your baby" in love with each other. Cole sweeps her off her feet by flying her around the nation and at their very first stop a gay man sees Olivia painting and offers her THOUSANDS of dollars for the painting. He then runs off to find his gay partner and together these gay men simply MUST have Olivia do an art showing at their art gallery. Little ol' Olivia is an instant hit and makes bundles of money in 24 hours. Mr. Perfect then convinces Olivia to give up her miserable life and become the artist she was meant to be.

Olivia wants to pay him back by having his baby. I kid you not, here is the exchange...[Olivia has just gotten her period, she had hoped she was pregnant- after only being together three times in a few weeks]

[page 289]
"I know. I did, too." Surprised by just how disappointed he was, he sat on the bathroom floor with her for a long time, but her sobs didn't let up. "Honey, you're breaking my heart. We'll have a baby. We can try as soon as you want to. Who cares about the logistics? We'll figure it out."
"I wanted to do this for you. You've done so much for me. This was something I could do for you." [end]

The sex?? Mr. Perfect is a magician in bed. The first time he touches virgin Olivia with ONE FINGER she explodes into multiple orgasms - this occurs before foreplay even! He's amazing! He's just unbelievable and totally unrealistic for a character. I was not buying what this book was selling at all. Everything was wrapped in a pretty red bow with golden paper. There was no depth of character, no grit, no angst, no...nothing. Just sugar sweet (toothache sweet) perfection. Cole said and did everything perfectly. He is a saint walking the earth...too good even for the angels in the heavens.

If you are looking for a sweet perfect romance with a completely flawless hero this is the book for you.

Rating: 0

Unfortunately, I just didn't like it. I don't like perfect characters because they are totally unrealistic. Had these characters had real flaws I could have liked their romance, but the stereo-typing and even the dialogue just drove me nuts, I am sorry to say.

The Princess and the Penis- free read

If you go to the bottom of my blog you can read "The Princess and the Penis" by RJ Silver. A cute erotic twist on the classic fairytale "The Princess and the Pea".

My thanks to KB over at Babbling About Books for the heads up on this entertaining story yesterday.

Awful book covers and/or titles...

A bit of WTF in book covers and/or titles...

Satan Burger= shit on a plate?? Is that what that is? *shudder*

Apparently violence and sex were hot ticket items for men in the 60's and 70's.

"The Best Dad is a Good Lover"...?? Tell me that is NOT what it sounds like!

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry that these were all actually published!

I hate her. Really I do.

It doesn't happen often but it does happen. I pick up a book and just HATE, yes H-A-T-E, HATE the heroine of the story! I want her dead, killed off in the first chapter! I get so angry when this happens because usually I can see the potential of the plot and even like the secondary characters so much I want to continue the story, but I HATE the heroine so much I just can't read another freaking word of the book!

It's so damn frustrating! Two YA books top my list of my most hated ever heroines, heroines so awful and vile that I could not finish the book (and I made SEVERAL attempts with these books over YEARS). It boggles my mind that these books were ever made into a series, but they were. I don't know how people read them and tolerated these main characters.

The characters are "Elena" from L.J. Smith's "The Vampire Diaries" books (thankfully the show is NOTHING like these books) and "Zoey" from PC Cast & Kristin Cast's "A House of Night" series. These two heroines are my most despised characters ever in a book. What do I hate about them? Let me count the ways.

First they are both self righteous. I have zero tolerance for self righteous people. Secondly, they both make fun of everyone who isn't exactly like them (name calling and stereotyping people the moment they meet them). Third, they live on a high horse and look down on everyone around them. They have a deep seated belief they are Creation's gift to the world. Fourth, they never see anything wrong with themselves, yet they can't see beyond the faults they alone see in others. They spend a great deal of time pointing out the faults of others and labeling people. I hate that. And fifth, they feel entitled to a special position- as if they are beyond all other humans.

There is nothing remotely engaging, likable or redeeming about them. They are cold, nasty bitches. As I read their stories I wanted every horrible catastrophe imaginable to man to befall them in the hopes that it would change them and make them more tolerable to read. Unfortunately that never happened.

I know so many people said they couldn't stand "Bella" from the "Twilight" books by Stephenie Meyer. While Bella's desire to give up her life annoyed me, I didn't dislike her. I actually understood her- that is to say her character was never happy nor fit in with mere humans. Bella was made to become a vampire. She finally fit in and felt normal and complete once she was turned. It was her destiny to become a vampire, so I could understand her desire for that to happen (and her obsession with Edward) even if I didn't personally like it. I get no such understanding of the heroines in the Vampire Diaries series or the House of Night series. These heroines just seem to like being hateful, judgemental and full of themselves. There's no reason for it other than they are just nasty mean bitches. And that is where the authors lose me. I can't justify the bad behavior long enough to tolerate them and finish the books.

There is a "hero" in Catherine Coulter's "Warrior Song" who brutally rapes a young woman in front of witnesses to make a point about his power and getting his way. This rapist later goes on to become a hero and get his own book story. There is NOTHING redeemable about this guy to me. He could never redeem himself after that brutal rape as far as I was concerned, so his book was unreadable to me. While "Elena" and "Zoey" are not rapists, they are nasty characters who never redeem themselves nor do they even try. These type of characters never work for me and that is why these are my most hated heroines.

Questions: Have you ever read a book and simply hated the heroine or hero? Have they left a bad taste in your mouth that tainted the entire book? Have any of you read these books and liked these heroines?

"The Vision" by Heather Graham

Title: The Vision
Author: Heather Graham
Published: 2005 MIRA
Genre: Mystery/Crime/Romance
Pages: 405

Synopsis: The gift of sight comes at a dangerous price.
When Deep Down Salvage begins the hunt for the Josephine Marie, it seems like any other dive…until Genevieve Wallace sees the vision of a dead woman in the water, her vacant eyes boring into Genevieve's very soul.
Terrified and confused by what she saw, Genevieve is haunted by the memory, but no one—including her diving partner Thor Thompson—believes her. When a dead woman washes up on shore, everyone assumes this is Genevieve's "vision," but Genevieve knows the truth: the dead woman is not the ghost she saw but another victim of the same brutal killer.
Sensing that the threat of death is coming closer, she and Thor are forced to acknowledge that some things can't be explained, but simply are. Somehow they have to link a violent past with a present-day mystery or risk losing themselves in an abyss of terror.

In a few words: good mystery

It's been a long while since I picked up a Heather Graham book. Not because I grew tired of the author, but because so many new authors have captured my attention in the last few years. But feeling a bit nostalgic recently I ransacked my TBR pile and pulled out "The Vision" by Heather Graham then curled up on the sofa with my comforter and a hot cup of tea while the snow and sleet did their damage outside. What I really enjoy about Graham's mystery/crime/romance books are the numerous potential "who done its" the author puts in the story. I can never seem to pin-point the villain until the last moment. I like that.

This story took sunken treasure, ghostly apparitions, a romance and a serial killer and wrapped them all up in beautiful Key West Florida. The heroine is Genevieve "Gen" Wallace an experienced diver on a team searching for a sunken ship. During a dive Gen sees a dead body or a ghost, she's not sure which but reports it as a dead body. The rest of the dive team see nothing and the police dive teams come up empty. Gen is teased by her friends the other divers and thought to be crazy by Thor Thompson, one of the men leading the dive exposition. Thor contemplates tossing Gen off the team because he doubts her ability to keep a clear head, but Gen's reputation gives her another chance - that and the fact that Thor thinks she's great eye candy.

Soon Gen is haunted by more ghostly visions, dreams of pirate corpses and pranks by her buddies. Then a real dead body washes up on shore and everyone stops teasing Gen. Things get stranger, people go missing and more bodies show up while a romance begins to bloom between Gen and Thor. When friends go missing the dive crew begin to panic and wonder if one of them is a serial killer. Everyone is a suspect and no one wants to be alone.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. The only draw back I have is one I find common with Graham's books. The author adores Florida and often fills her books with pages after pages of local details that aren't necessary and sometimes just boring. I find I am skimming a great deal at the beginning of her books because they read like a tourist guide to Florida's hotspots. I like Florida, but when I read a mystery novel I don't want a tourist guide. There is such a thing as too much detail. A red marker would have gone a long way in the first few chapters of this book.

That said, it was an enjoyable mystery/crime/romance read. I kept turning the pages wondering "who done it" right up to the climax and I was shocked- I thought that character was "one of the good guys". The romance wasn't the main focus of the book, but it was there with a few steamy (if vague) love scenes. Thor and Gen didn't like each other at all when they first met- water and oil. But they drifted together and the chemistry was there all along, so it worked.
To wrap it up, kudos to Graham for delivering on the mystery and romance under the sun of Key West, Florida.

Rating: 3.5/5


Buy it:
Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

WTF: The Mini Penis Tattoo

I love stupid people, I really do. They make my day and give me so much to laugh about. Today I was reading on several media and car sources about what a 39 year old German man did to win a car.

The contest was for a brand new Mini Cooper. The way to win it was to do something crazy and idiotic. The most idiotic stunt would win the Mini Cooper.

Andreas Muller came up with the bright idea of having the word "Mini" tattooed on his schlong while on the air at a radio studio. The judges decided Muller's stun won hands down. To get the car, he'd have to get the ink on his dong.

So during a live radio broadcast Muller sat spread eagle with a tattoo artist between his legs and a female radio host by his side watching the inking of Muller's penis as Muller himself howled out in pain several times during the broadcast. Now that's entertainment folks!

When all the inking was done, here's what Muller had to say...

"Once I'm sitting in the car, it won't matter anymore. Then the pain will be gone and it'll be alright," he said.

Sources:

http://austriantimes.at/image/20503/news/Around_the_World/2011-01-24/29979/My_mini_sex_drive_

http://www.mizozo.com/weird/01/2011/25/andreas-muller-man-gets-mini-tattooed-on-his-penis....html

Favorites

Today I am sharing some of my very favorite authors as well as television shows (both current shows and past shows). I hadn't planned on it, but for some reason my mind was scanning all the authors I'd read over the years and which ones stick with me no matter how many decades go by.

That of course caused me to feel rather nostalgic today, so I thought I'd take a trip down Memory Lane with some of my favorites from long ago as well as current favorites. I hate that some of these shows from the past got canceled way before their time. I am one of Those People, who write ranting letters to networks in a feeble attempt to keep a beloved show on the air. I don't know if it's because I am an optimist or just a big mouth who demands to be heard. Either way, I feel better after I send off my rant. So here are my lists. Please share some of your favorites and tell me if any of my favorites are/were yours too!

Favorite Authors

(in no particular order)

Nora Roberts

Linda Howard

Jeaniene Frost

Patricia Briggs

Evangeline Anderson

Beth Kery

Karen Marie Moning

Lora Leigh

Kendra Leigh Castle

Charlaine Harris

Lisa Kleypas

Jaci Burton

Cheryl Brooks

Maya Banks

Connie Mason

Claire Thompson

Norah Hess

Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

Judith McNaught

Virginia Henley

Christina Dodd

LaVyrle Spencer

Tami Hoag

Kresley Cole

JR Ward

Jude Deveraux

Heather Graham/Shannon Drake

Johanna Lindsay

Favorite YA Authors

(in no particular order)

Cassandra Clare

Jennifer Echols

Simone Elkeles

Stephenie Meyer

Julie Kagawa

Laurie Halse Anderson

Carrie Jones

Alex Flinn

Favorite Television Shows

(current & past)

Justified

Sons of Anarchy

The Vampire Diaries

Roswell

Jericho

Castle

Moonlight

Melrose Place (original)

Beverly Hills 90210 (original)

Dawson's Creek

The Bachelor/Bachelorette

Project Runway

America's Next Top Model

Supernatural

Who are your favorite authors?

What are you favorite shows from the past or right now?

Fuckin' Perfect...

An excuse to repost my pics of Ian Somerhalder playing "Damon Salvatore"...


My thanks to Marta over at Vampire Wire for the heads up on this awesome new video set to clips of "Damon" from Vampire Diaries (he's just so damn delectable!- he's "fuckin' perfect" as the song goes...



This character just captivates me... he's the ultra wounded bad-boy who acts first and thinks later - which mostly causes him more pain, which causes him to strike out (a vicious cycle for this character). I want Damon to have a happy ending...I just don't know if it will ever happen for him. Either way, he's got a fan in me!