~REVIEW of Suzanne Collins' THE HUNGER GAMES~

~SO THIS IS WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT~  

Opening Line: "When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold."

THE HUNGER GAMES is a fantastic, breathless and somewhat brutal read that once you start you simply can’t put down again. Initially I had no idea what this book was about or what to expect in terms of YA writing, it had just been recommended to me by so many people and had such a buzz surrounding it that I had to find out for myself why. Well let me say I was not disappointed and have now joined the legions of Suzanne Collins fans in awaiting her next instalment.

Written along the lines of Stephen King’s THE LONG WALK or Orwell’s 1984 (I may be aging myself here) this story still feels very original and sucked me in completely with its modern day Survivor-esque retelling. The Hunger Games is the ultimate in reality TV, suspense, scripted realism, romance and survival that you should not miss.

                  

 Set in a post apocalyptic future (although we frustratingly never learn the why's, how’s or even when of this future.) This new communist-type America known as Panem has been divided into a Capital and its 12 districts. We follow 16 year old Katniss as she struggles to keep her starving family alive, hunting and gathering with her best friend Gale. Unbeknownst to her these are valuable skills as the annual hunger games are about to begin.

Each year these games require two children from each district who are chosen based on a lottery system for compulsory participation. These televised games are then broadcast throughout Panem (with mandatory viewing) as the 24 contestants fight each other to the death, leaving just one victor at its violent conclusion. It’s kind of like Survivor but instead of being voted off the island you have to kill your competitors. When Katniss’s younger sister is chosen as the female contestant from their district Katniss volunteers to take her place. Then together with Peeta the other lottery winner they travel to the capital and begin preparations for the opening ceremonies and ultimately their death in The Hunger Games.

Oddly this has been written without paragraph breaks and I have to admit the first part of it dragged for me, as Katniss is groomed, clothed, and schooled by her entourage within the capital. However as soon as the games begin, lookout! By this point in the story you have become attached to several key characters and its then that you realize things can’t end well as there will be only one winner. Over a period of about 2 weeks and against overwhelming odds we watch 24 victims dwindle as they struggle to survive. Simultaneously avoiding and hunting each other they form alliances, face hunger and mind numbing thirst, mutant animal attacks, friendship, love and ultimately a distrust of everyone as Big Brother raises the stakes to keep the audience interested.

This is an exciting book that will keep you up late into the night and resonate with you long after you’ve finished. Cheers.



~REVIEW of Justine Davis' THE MORNING SIDE OF DAWN~

                                    ONE OF MY TOP TORTURED HEROES OF ALL TIME

1/2 Star read
-Shame about these older Harlequin covers, they sure don't age very well.

Opening line: "She was the most beautful thing he'd ever seen."

I have no idea where I picked this book up but what a fabulous find especially if you’re anything like me and have a soft spot for the wounded heroes. Written in 96 and the last in a trilogy (which I’m now actively searching for) TMSOD contains one of the most seriously shut-off and tortured heroes I’ve come across since JR Ward’s Zsadist.

Dar Cordell is bitter, standoffish, intimidating and often just downright mean. Allowing precious few into his inner circle, and even those he manages to keep at arms length. Dar is also impossibly handsome, a superior athlete and a double leg amputee, preferring a wheelchair to his seldom used prosthetics. This is one hero with a serious chip on his shoulder, belittling and biting out at everyone while using his missing legs as an excuse to shut himself off from the world.

Still, Dar would have to be up there with my top tortured heroes of all time because given the right circumstances (as is the case here) this unlikely romantic lead quickly gains your sympathy. So that despite his attitude he becomes desirable as you gain understanding as to why he is the way he is. And as it turns out Dar’s issues have very little to do with his legs.

The actual story here is pretty standard Harlequin romance; following supermodel Cassie “Cassandra” Cameron as she grows tired of the superficial world of modeling and escapes to her brothers for a much needed vacation. Of course then we have her stalker, and when he catches up with Cassie the only place she has left to turn is to her brother’s friend Dar. Forcing this reluctant couple together while the police investigate.



This is how I pictured our hero Dar

I really liked Cassie, despite her supermodel status she reads like a real person, managing to call Dar on his crap, which is just what he needs. As it turns out she‘s just as stubborn as he is and faces some of the same issues too, with the public just assuming she’s nothing more then her looks.
The sparks really fly between this couple with a palpable level of sexual tension throughout, despite the fact that Dar continually pushes Cassie away because he just can’t believe she would ‘want’ him. However when they finally make it into bed lookout, its smoking hot and sweetly intimate.

You can definitely tell that Davis has done her research here as we learn about the different types of wheelchairs (Dar designs racing chairs) hand controlled driving, and what it feels like to be looked down on or just looked through. And because Cassie moves in with Dar we also learn about modified kitchens and bathrooms, wheelchair ramps and accessibility issues in general.

All in all I loved this story and if it wasn’t for the authors annoying overuse of the word “Chagrin” this would have been a 5 star read. Cheers people!

Okay this is Rick Hanson, bit of a different situation but I've had a crush on him since 1986 when he did his Man In Motion tour.



 Oh yeah our hero is an athlete too

  



 

~REVIEW of Suzanne Brockmann's TALL, DARK AND DEVASTATING~

~ADDICTIVE NAVY SEAL'S ROMANCES GET A 2-IN-1 REISSUE~

  Star read

Opening Line: "This was wrong. It was all wrong."

This is a fun, sexy, exciting series with larger then life Navy SEAL heroes, capable of anything it seems except falling in love easily. TD and Devastating contains books 5 & 6 from Brockmann’s Tall Dark and Dangerous series which is being re-released as 2-in-1’s with way better covers.

Using proper military jargon Brockman gives us delicious alpha-male heroes and just the right amount of action, suspense and sweet romance to keep you coming back for more. And with each story just different enough from the last that it feels fresh and unique while still connecting the series as a whole, these well written quickie romances are totally addictive. While each can be read as a stand-alone I recommend trying to read them in order due to the continuing and evolving story arcs, and I dare you not to fall for any member of SEAL Team Tens alpha squad.

Both of the stories here are super good, with fast paced plots, memorable characters, searing love scenes and sigh worthy endings. I couldn’t really choose a favourite although because I have a thing for tortured heroes I’d have to say Crash (Hawken’s Heart) is pretty dreamy.

First up was HARVARD'S EDUCATION and while I will admit this was a bit slow to get started by the end however I really felt like I knew our heroes and was completely wrapped up in their lives. When Harvard and the team take on an experimental training assignment no one expects a girl to be among the FInCOM recruits. After all with the type of life and death situations they face the SEAL’s are exclusive boys club and that’s just the way Harvard likes it. Enter PJ Richards, sharpshooter, most capable recruit, Harvard’s perfect intellectual match and of course all woman. With his sexist attitude these two have problems from the start. Harvard just doesn’t believe women belong in a combat zone, it’s too dangerous, too brutal and she would be far too distracting.

The ending chapters here were fantastic as a planned out of country “training” mission goes horribly wrong. Leaving me hanging for quite a while as to whether the mission (and fatalities) were real or in fact a training op. Pinned down by hostiles, armed only with paint ball guns, and with their Captain severely injured and held hostage it’s going to be up to PJ and Harvard to save the day. Will he be able to set his prejudices aside long enough to let PJ do her job and help rescue their team mates?

With HAWKEN'S HEART we get Billy “Crash Hawken’s story and Jeez did I ever fall hard for him. A member of the elite “Grey group” Crash is aloof, loyal to a fault and oh so sexy in his secretive, lethal sort of way. He’s a man of few words and even less emotion, or so it seems. Told in two distinct sections each taking place a year apart Brockman encompass one of my favourite themes with this one; that of reunited lovers, made even better here as they’re on the run and that always guarantees a good time.

When Crash becomes the prime suspect in the assassination of his commanding officer he is charged with treason, conspiracy and murder. Stripped of his commission he awaits the death penalty. The last person he expects to visit him in prison is Nell Burns; I mean things didn’t exactly end well between them and he hasn’t spoken to her since, avoiding any contact by accepting multiple overseas missions. Her faith in him is unwavering though and as she tries to clear his name Nell unwittingly becomes a target, forcing these former lovers on the run. When it becomes evident that Crash is going to give his life to keep Nell safe and find the man responsible for killing the Admiral SEAL Team 10 enters the picture to back up our boy.