tea time

tea time

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Centurions Wife

By: Janette Oke and Davis Bunn
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Grade: Writing A
Setting A
Plot A
Characterization A
Romance C/D


Alban is a Gaul but a centurion in the Roman army. A second son who was a threat to his non-warrior brother, Alban hungers for advancement in the government of occupied Judea. He knows one sure way to win it is to wed Leah, Pilate's niece. Her family has been utterly impoverished and disgraced and she now serves as maid to Procula, Pilot's wife. But occupied Judea is not a good place to be for anyone right now. The crucifixion of the Jewish spiritual leader Jesus has led to more political unrest rather than lessened it as hoped. In a land and time ruled by politicians who lived on bribes and deceptions, how can two people tossed to the bottom of the pile hope to rise again? Especially when the situation grows more and more charged with every moment.

This is a fascinating look at a portion of the occupied Roman Empire in a period of great political unrest. I had never really understood what all was happening in Jesus' time from the viewpoint of the Roman's and this gives us a look into what they were dealing with by occupying Judea. Fascinating stuff. I liked the fact that though this book has a primarily Jewish view point they do not paint the Romans as strictly villains. Both Pilate and his wife Procula come across as OK people. They are not violent, are willing to listen, are open minded as they can afford to be -- yes, they watch their backs. You would too in their position. But they aren't portrayed as monsters just because they happened to occupy a hostile land.

Alban, Linux and other Romans are also portrayed in a favorable light. Again, they are not shown to be villains but soldiers doing their duty to their own kingdom.

The "Followers of the Way" or Christians are portrayed in an interesting manner. Much of the book deals with them, with how they differ to the other Jewish communities and yet how very Jewish they themselves are. This isn't an anti-Jewish Christian group but is instead a Jewish community following a new teaching. It was VERY interesting watching them sift through the old and new to arrive at what their own beliefs are, even while everyone around them seeks to find out just how much a danger they pose.

Another aspect I found interesting was Judean politics. It is clear that the political center was the Jewish Temple and it was interesting to see how the mix of religion and politics just didn't work. The Sanhedrin were presented as a mix of both good and bad. I was glad the author took a more balanced approach, although being an inspirational it was clear who they thought was in the right.

I had only a few quibbles with the book. For a romance, we sure didn't see much of Alban and Leah falling in love. They do but it is subtle and a very small part of the plot. The other quibble is that Leah wanted to marry for love. Hearing these words come from a girl in her position just astounded me. Arranged marriages were a fact. Really. It just seemed ridiculous that this girl wanted to choose her own husband.

Overall, a great look at the history of the early Christian church with a sweet romance.

Tea: Maybe just a tiny bit of wine??

Monday, March 15, 2010

To Kiss a Frog

Elle James
Grade: C
Fantasy/Southern Romance


While visiting his uncle down in the bayou, hotshot New Orlean's lawyer Craig Thibodeaux develops a small problem: he crosses the niece of the bayous Voodoo Queen. Her response? He has till the next full moon to find a woman to love him or his curse will be upon him for life. The curse? Man by night, frog by day.

Craig quickly learns that a frog's life, especially a tiny one like him, is full of peril. He had a bit of a tumble and he can't get his hop to go right. He was almost stepped on by his uncle. A beagle nearly ate him. And this was just the first ten minutes! This is not how he wants to spend his life.

Elaine Smith has some problems of her own. Namely, walking in on her fiancee in the stairwell with the department secretary. Now she has decided to give herself a break from the office and go out to the bayou to find out what is killing some of the local animal life.

Craig's uncle quickly volunteers him to take Elaine out on the bayou in the evenings to collect her samples. And Craig finds himself drawn to practical, smart, sexy Elaine. But will this be a love that lasts? Can he woo a decent, likable woman just to break a curse? Or will it be more than that?

The romance between Craig And Elaine was a bit forced but I liked both of them as characters. They were decent people, realistic enough that you might meet them in the grocery store. The story was cute and fun. While this wasn't a book that had me begging for more it was a solid freshmen effort and I would definitely read more by this author.

Tea:
Iced tea with a sprig of mint.

Friday, March 5, 2010

The Mercenary

by : Katherine Garbera
Genre: Romance
Grade: C

Ever been in a book store and been caught by a cover? That happened to me a few weeks ago. I couldn't seem to walk away from the cover to this book and finally just bought it I had never heard of the author before, so I thought maybe I had stumbled upon something really new. Upon coming home, I looked up reviews on her and believe me, a C is a banner score for her.

I'll be honest, this book probably doesn't deserve a C. The writing can be clunky, there were mistakes, there were silly conversations, lust thought -- you name it, this book probably had that problem. So why the decent grade?

Let's talk about the story first. Kirk Mann was once a military sniper but is now working for the Savage Seven, an elite team of mercenaries known for their ability to get the job down. Guarding someone like Olivia Pountuf is not normally on the agenda but she's a friend of his bosses wife and that's all the credentials she needs to push her to the top of Savage's priority list. Besides, guarding someone in South Africa, with its corrupt police departments and high crime rate isn't all a cupcake mission.

Olivia never thought she would need a body guard. Writing childrens books normally doesn't put one on a hit list. But when she witnesses something she shouldn't and then gets the goods on someone who most definitely doesn't want her to have them, her life expectancy begins to be measured in minutes rather than years. She can only be thankful that the Savage Seven are there for her. Even if her growing attraction to her body guard is rather inappropriate. . .

I loved the setting for this book. South Africa and its diamond cartel made for some interesting reading. And this book, while a pale, pale, pale image of a Brockmann almost came close to being a shadow of one. I really miss Brockmann's style of writing so it was kind of neat to have this "nowhere near as good as the original" stand-in.

There were some really bad moments though. For example: In one scene Olivia gets changed to go work out. Then she runs into Kirk, some conversation occurs ---- and Olivia gets dressed to go work out. That was the editor or proof reader not doing their job and it was a bit of a jolt. In another scene Olivia is talking about being betrayed by someone extremely close to her. Kirk's response? "Don't take it so personally." That was -- ridiculous. When you are betrayed by someone that close to you, its nothing if not personal. There were a few other ridiculous moments in the book like this that just pull you out of the story for a minute.

But I liked it. Whether there was some kind of "location porn" thing going on or whether I just clicked somehow with the authors writing, I found the book interesting and readable. In the end, that is what reading is all about.

Tea: Information from Wisegeek.com :Red tea is a popular South African beverage made from the oxidized and dried leaves of the Aspalathis linearis plant. Technically, red tea is a tisane, not a tea, since it does not contain the leaves of Camellia sinensis, the tea bush. Several South African companies produce red tea for export, since it has become popular in many other parts of the world as well; it is a common offering at tea houses and restaurants, and it can also be found in many markets.

Celestial Seasonings (oh, how I love those people!) sell several delicious red tea varieties.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Dawn of Valor

by: Lindsay McKenna
Genre: Korean War Romance
Grade: B


Rachel Mckenzie is a surgical nurse whose MASH unit sits on the very edge of the battle torn line between North and South Korea. When her unit is overrun she is taken prisoner, a fact that has the military in uproar. Bad enough to let some of their doctors get taken but to lose one of the few women they had was the equivalent of a public relations nightmare. Immediately, Chase Trayhern and his squadron are ordered to bomb the convoy the prisoners are in and create a diversion for their escape. It works beautifully accept that Chase is hit and forced to parachute to safety. It turns out not to work quite that way since he lands behind enemy lines and hits his head on the way down. Rachel finds him, does some quick first aid and the two begin a trek towards freedom -- and love.

Rachel is a mix of strength and innocence. Raised to think that "good girls don't" (typical I think for her era) and experience has taught her that pilots tend to be after only one thing. While her competence in the wild and in the surgery can't be questioned, it is clear she is very inexperienced when it comes to men and love. This sets the basis for some of the difficulties she and Chase encounter on the way to the altar.

Chase for his part loves Rachel's inexperience and naivete but struggles to come to grips with her independence at work and most especially, with her comfort at being a part of the war. Convinced women belong at home his only goal is to get her to safety and back to the states. Her goal is to reach her unit and continue to make a difference in the lives of the men fighting this war.

I was surprised that Chase didn't admire what Rachel was doing more. There was, apparently, a shortage of nurses during this war and I would have thought he would admire all Rachel had done for him and for others just by being there. On the other hand, Rachel's naivete had to be enough to try the patience of a saint (which Chase definitely wasn't). But in spite of these quibbles I really enjoyed the book. My one regret was not getting a more vivid description of Korea. Still, you get a good idea of what the battles were like for the fighting men and women.

Tea: Here is a link about a Korean Tea Ceremony http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_tea_ceremony

Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska

by: Loree Lough
Inspirational Romance
Grade: C

I feel like I am giving lots of C's but I am reading lots of average books. Not bad, not brilliant but that somewhere in between range that makes them good but not great.

The gorgeous cover to this novel captures the beauty of North Pole, Alaska and its' newest citizen Sam Sinclair. She came north to fill the position of chef in this Christmas town's leading restaurant but finds her position filled by the owners nephew -- in spite of her written contract. Not willing to go to the law, she accepts with good grace in alternate position working for Bryce Stone at his Christmas Emporium.

Bryce, for his part, is thrilled to find someone to take on the day to day running of the store. Just returned from Afghanistan with some injuries and a boat load of PTSD, he is in no mood to listen to Christmas music, munch sugar cookies and watch sparkly lights --especially in the middle of July. And smarting from a broken engagement, he is not looking for love.

But Christmas is impossible to avoid in a town devoted to celebrating it year round. And Sam is not one to let her boss's problems prevent her from finding the perfect solution to his loneliness -- and it just so happens that solution is her.

This is a sweet romance with a subtle (but very present) Christian message. The writing was good but it was a little bit less polished than I was used to. But both Bryce and Sam were enjoyable characters. The romance element was a friends to lovers style, with a very quick proposal and wedding thrown in at the end. The setting is really well drawn and makes an interesting back drop to the action. The only other romance I have read in Alaska was a Debbie Macomber short story so it was fun to "go" somewhere new. If you are looking for a light, Christmas flavored read this just might be the book for you.

Tea: Nutcracker Sweet is my favorite of all Celestial Seasonings Christmas teas.

Smitten

By: Janet Evanovich
Genre: Romance
Grade: C?


Lizabeth Kane is a single mom with a rich father and ex* who is determined to prove just how able to stand on her own two feet she is. To that end she is living in a home in need of major repairs, driving a car which actually doesn't work and looking for a job she can walk to. The nearest position is for a carpenter and even though she has never done more than hammer a nail into a wall to hold a picture she is determined to get the position.

Matt Hallahan was actually looking for a qualified professional but his business is doing well and he figures he can offer Lizzie a position and hire the kind of man he actually needs for the job. Almost right away Matt finds himself spending way more time with Lizzie than any employee should require -- and he's loving every minute of it.

Finding himself pulled into a world of neighborly flashers, kooky dogs and precocious kids Matt is soon head over heels. He can't wait to convince Lizzie that together they really can build something that will last a life time -- even if she never does learn to properly use a hammer.

This is a cute if farcical read. It reminded me in many ways of Stef Ann Holm's "Lucy Gets Her Life Back" or "Girl's Night". If you liked those two, definitely try this one.

*aside; It is a personal pet peeve of mine when woman don't want the ex to pay sufficient child support to really provide their kids with a good life style. I couldn't help but feel Lizzie should have taken at least sufficient money to provide the kids with a roof over their heads' that didn't leak.

Tea:
Long Island Iced Tea would be about the only tea I can think of that would go with being a construction worker!

Son of the Morning

By: Linda Howard
Grade: B/C range
Genre: Romance

Grace St. John is happily married, sharing a duplex with her brother and husband in the mid 90's, thrilled about living her quiet, studious life. She is an expert in translating ancient languages and has brought some work home with her. One small hitch -- her lap top isn't working right so she runs next door so her wunderteen neighbor can help fix it. And returns home to a nightmare -- as she watches through a window her boss, Parish Sawyer, murders Grace's brother and husband. More, he sets it up so it looks like she did it. On the run for her life, Grace has only her briefcase and a small bit of cash to help her pull a Fugitive -- keep herself free while nailing the real killer.

And all the while the killer stalks her. Because the papers she brought home to work on were never meant to be seen by anyone but him. . . . .

It doesn't take Grace long to figure out that the papers are the clue to the whole thing. Within those papers lie legends of vast powers long forgotten and of a man who controls and guards them throughout eternity. Niall of Scotland, the Guardian, begins to haunt Graces dreams. And when the two finally meet, they must change destiny -- or be destroyed by it.

The start of this book was difficult for me. The mid-90's had already seen quite a bit of forensic work being done and I had a hard time buying that the cover up would work. You always leave a trace of yourself -- especially a conceited guy who wouldn't shave his head or wear anything but his own designer shoes. So I struggled with that a bit.

The part where Grace was becoming a tough, kick a$$ heroine was fantastic! It was great to see her being so take charge and as you get to know her, get to see her change you grow very close to the character.

The end, with Niall and the super villain and the mega power did not impress me as much. I really couldn't get into Niall's and Grace's romance or buy the whole shtick on the religion thing. Did like the special diet idea -- it made sense but the rest -- not so much.

I don't know whether to recommend or not. It's a good book -- but several steps below "Eight" by Katherine Neville.

Tea: This is a coffee book. In honor of the Minnesota setting, try Carribou Coffee.