Good Morning!

Hey everyone! Yes, I'm still basking in the glow of my football team winning. But I'd imagine that 99% of you (except maybe, Ame) are over it now. And it's time to move on.

I have nothing at all to blog about. So, I'm just going to ramble.

1- Can I say how happy I am that TV is back? I can't begin to tell you how much I've missed it. I simply adore the DVR phenomenon. It's like Christmas morning when I go to my recording list and find all new stuff there to watch. On Friday I watched the season's premier of Grey's Anatomy. It's still one of my favorite shows on TV. And the premier was quite well done. I think that it portends a lot going on this season. It will be interesting to see if the main character can actually be happy in a relationship. And even better, my boyfriend Jeffrey Dean Morgan made a cameo appearance. Yay! Any day with JDM is a good one!

2- I had three doctor's appointments yesterday. You'll be glad to hear all my parts are where they're s'posed to be. And now, other than an eye doctor's appointment on Thursday, I'm all done with doctors (unless I get sick) for a little while. Yay!

3- My review of The Black Dagger Brotherhood Compendium is going up on RNTV at 11:00 today. Come see why JR Ward (damn her!) has dragged me back into a series that I'd totally broken up with.

4- Last night I read Marie Force's Line of Scrimmage all in one sitting. It was a really fun straight contemporary featuring two of my favorite things: a football player and childhood love/marriage gone awry. The story is basically that this football player who has neglected his wife for years is coming back just days before their divorce is final to try to win her back. He's a total operator and tries to manipulate the heck out of her. And yet, I found myself charmed by the story. I'm waiting to hear if RNTV wants the review or if I'll put it up here. But I really enjoyed it. If you like athelete stories, this one might be for you.


5- Let's move to fashion. Check out what Posh had on at the premier of the Beckham's new perfume. Wow. How does she walk in those? Quite simply, I just adore Victoria Beckham. I think she totally gets how surreal and ridiculous her life is. And she is just trying to live as best she can with 1,000 cameras in her face. But I love when she glams up for events. She just always goes all-in, which I love.

6- GOAL! By finishing Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force, I completed my reading goal for Unleash Your Story. If you haven't donated yet, won't you consider doing so now? It's such a worthy cause, and it'll make you shiny inside and out.

Huh. I'm all tapped out. I think that's it for me. I hope everyone had a great weekend and it's shaping up to be a fun week. I'm back at work for the first time since the Regatta Gala, so I'm going to start shoveling out.

What's going on in your life?

Uh-Huh

H

A

I

L!

Washington 26 - Dallas 24

The Regatta Gala and Other Sundry Items

Hey everyone! I hope that everyone had a good week! Mine was exhausting, but I'm finally back among the living.

The Regatta Gala was wonderful. We had a couple of bumps, but nothing dire, and the accolades have been rolling in, which is great. The food was excellent, the program went beautifully and the flowers were absolutely glorious. I couldn't be gladder that it's over! Yesterday I was more or less catatonic.

I went yesterday and picked up the DVD of Sex and the City, which I watched last night. I might be hormonal, but I cried again at it. But I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first go 'round. I also ordered Grey's Anatomy Seasons 3 & 4, which I'd been holding off on getting, but I got a ridiculous deal for the two of them. I watched the season premiere yesterday, which I enjoyed, except, dang! Commercials every five minutes. That was ridiculous. But the show was just as good as always.

This week I'm having dinner with an old friend from high school who I haven't seen in probably 15 years. We reconnected on Facebook, which has been this crazy experience where I'm reconnecting with friends from college and high school. Crazy!

Anyway, I'm reading Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair and am enjoying it very much! I've got to seriously get going on reading, since I need to hit 3,000 words by October 1.

It's Dallas week here in DC. It's finally starting to get cooler here in DC, and I'm thinking about making a big vat of chili for dinner tomorrow night. Something about football and chili. They just go together.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

ETA: Rest in Peace, Paul Newman. You gave me hours and hours of entertainment, left a legacy of stewardship and responsibility through your charitable endeavors, and were a truly good and honorable man. Thank You.

It's Regatta Gala Week! And other thoughts...

Hi Everyone! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. Mine was overall pretty relaxing.

Here's what I'm thinking about:

1- I think that Kyra Sedgwick wins my best dressed from last night's Emmy Awards. I don't believe I've *ever* looked that good. I will say for the record that I watched not one single moment of the Emmys. And I have no regrets. Marisa and I were emailing last night and she said the hosts were wretched. Sounds like I didn't miss anything. I'm not planning on watching the Emmys again until they wake up and start nominating my show for something. It's a travesty that Friday Night Lights hasn't been recognized for any writing or acting awards. It's just shameful.

2- The Redskins are 2-1. That's TWO wins and ONE loss. It's a good day to be a Redskins fan. This is Dallas week, so I can only hope my team pulls it together and gets up for the game. Dallas will be heavily favored, but the Redskins have shocked the 'Boys more than once at home. *fingers crossed*

3- What is it about the male species that makes them insist upon explaining something sports related when you've CLEARLY stated that you don't care. Here's how this morning's conversation with Scott went:

Kati: "I didn't watch the Ryder Cup because it just doesn't make sense to me. I *love* golf, but I don't get it."
Scott: "I can explain it to you in less than 3 minutes, ready?"
Me: "Wait. I don't care that much. No need to explain."
Scott: "It'll take less than 3 minutes, Kate. OK, so you've got two teams....[insert LONG rambly explaination]. See? It's totally not complicated."
Me: "Yeah. I still don't get it."
Scott: [huffily] "What don't you understand? It's not that hard to understand."
Me: "It's kind of like how a baseball team can be half a game behind another. I just...don't get it. I like football, you win, you lose. That's it."
Scott: "Want me to explain about baseball. OK, you have two teams. You've played 50 games, I've played 51 games..."

SIGH. You'll note in both instances, I DID NOT ask for an explaination. The male species is a constant wonder to me.

4- It's Kati Day over at RNTV. Come over and visit, this morning I'm blogging about converting non-romance readers to becoming romance readers using Amy as my guinea pig. And this afternoon my review of Lisa Kleypas's newest release, Seduce Me At Sunrise will be up. Come by and say hi!

5- The fabulous Katiebabs sent me some awesome, yummy goodness in the mail on Friday. I read a bit of one of her favorite books, Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair yesterday, but didn't get very far. I'll do better after this week, Kate, I promise.

6- Happy Birthday to one of my favorite online friends, Carolyn Jean. If you've never visited her blog, The Thrillionth Page, do it, it's great fun!

OK, that's it. This might very well be the only post this week. But once the Regatta Gala is over, I'll post some pictures and hopefully have a chance to breathe.

Y'all be good while I'm gone, and wish me luck!

For Rach

I'm thinking of you today, sweetheart.

A Little Friday Pretty

Really, does it get any better than Hugh Jackman?

I honestly don't think so.

Ponderings on the Old School

Ciaralira and the Book Smugglers have come up with a brilliant idea, they are sending a copy of my all time favorite book, The Windflower, literally around the world to be read and reviewed by different bloggers. It's a wonderful chance for folks who might not otherwise have the chance to read the book. The Windflower has been out of print since 1995, and it's notoriously hard to find and quite expensive when you can find one. I own three copies, each cost me, well, a bundle. In fact, I loaned one to my sister, and pretty much threatened her that nothing better happen to it, and she handed it back and said it was too much pressure.

Anyway, I digress, Ana, from The Book Smugglers read The Windflower first and she was very unimpressed. She thought that the hero was an ass and the heroine had very few redeeming qualities. Which of course, I disagreed with. :wink: But the point is, she felt that the story was very dated in the way the hero and the heroine acted. Which I found interesting, mostly because I consider Merry Patricia Wilding to be one of my all time favorite heroines. So the fact that she didn't work on pretty much any level for Ana surprised me.

So I got to thinking, in looking at my Top 10 favorite novels (from the list I submitted to AAR for the 2007 Top 100 poll, I chose 5 novels that are more than 10 years old, and two that are more than 20 years old. The rest of my list has 16 more books that are at least 15 years old.

Here's my Top 10:

1. The Windflower – Tom & Sheila Curtis (published in 1984)
   
2. A Kingdom of Dreams – J. McNaught (published 1985)
   
3. Dream Man – L. Howard (published 1995)
   
4. All Through the Night – C. Brockway (published 1997)
   
5. Sea Swept – N. Roberts (published in 2001)
   
6. Dreaming of You – L. Kleypas (published in 1994)
   
7. Over the Edge – S. Brockmann (published in 2001)
   
8. See Jane Score – R. Gibson (published in 2003)
   
9. Lord of Scoundrels – L. Chase (published in 1994)
   
10. Slightly Dangerous – M. Balogh (published in 2004)

So, that got me to thinking, when does a book become "Old School"? And why is it classified as "Old School"? Is it the story line? A convention? The mannerisms of the main characters? What?

There are books that I read that I think have an Old School feel. Anna Campbell's books come immediately to mind. Not only did her first book, Claiming the Courtesan feature forced seduction, something that is decidedly un-PC in this day and age of romance, but Untouched also had an Old School feel to me, with the hero and heroine imprisoned.

My reaction, particularly to Claiming the Courtesan, was "great prose, uncomfortable storyline" I ended up giving CtC a solid B, but that was with reservations about the forced seduction scene. Yet, I adore Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught, which features forced seduction, as do I love The Flame and The Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss. So, that got me to thinking, why do I give the Old School books a pass? Is it because I read them when I was a teenager, and it was what was offered? Is it because I'm judging the books by some different standard?

So, I thought I'd re-read Whitney, My Love, a controversial book to say the least, again to see if it still worked for me. It still does. On almost every level. I love how dominant Clayton is, and I love how hoydenish Whitney is. I love the Big Misunderstanding. Do I think Clayton is an ass? Boy-howdy! But still, I love the book. I'm starting to think it's because, when I read it in 1986, I fell in love with the story, the epic nature of it, and its colored my perception of the book. I can't really explain it, because when I read other readers objections to the story, I can totally see their point. And yet, the book still works for me.

Kind of like how I acquired a taste for circus peanuts when I was 12, and even though I know they're one step from styrofoam, I can still polish off a bag in about 10 minutes. Do I love more "sophisticated" candy? Sure. But I have a ton of affection for the "Old School" stuff too.

So, I guess my question is, are there books that you have affection for that are old school? Can you help me figure out my nostalgia for books that aren't PC? What Old School books do you love? When did the new school start and what authors precipitated it?

Ninja cat.

OK, I found this to be completely hilarious. Except it should be called red light, green light.

For Love of A Costume Drama

I just read a USA Today article about Keira Knightley, who I will confess to being a big fan of. She's headlining her first big movie, which opens this weekend, The Duchess.

Now, on top of having Keira in the movie (and Ralph Fiennes - yummy!), the movie is a costume drama. I am a total sucker for costume dramas. You throw some awesome costumes on, and some serious drama, and I'm all in. I loved Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility, and A Room with a View or Remains of the Day. I goggled at the costuming of Marie Antoinette. Sure, it was a stupid movie, but hey, it was shot IN Versailles and the costumes were like wedding cakes. Or how about Amadeus? Incredible costuming, and the wigs were amazing! The thing that sticks out most to me about last year's Atonement was the green dress that Keira wore in that. First, you have to have a flawless figure to wear a dress like that, but more, the color, the fabric, the glory of it!

What are your favorite costume dramas? Are you a fan? Will you go see The Duchess in theaters? Or do you have no interest?

Blogadee-Blog-Blog

Hi Everyone! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. I had a nice, if low key weekend, which is welcome because I'm in the home stretch before the Regatta Gala on September 25.

Friday - First, thanks to everyone who visited me here and at RNTV on a dual blogging day. I had a great time hearing from all of you! H & I had dinner, Friday night with our friends Chris and Beth, which was wonderful. We went to Legal Seafood and enjoyed a delicious dinner, but more than that, a chance to catch up with some of our busiest friends. Chris and Beth are who we co-host our Thanksgiving Dinner with friends with every year. This year is Chris and Beth's year to host the dinner, and we spent a chunk of dinner working out the details. You see, each year we host a big dinner before the holiday madness for our friends. Usually it's somewhere between 18-25 guests. It's potluck and a no-kids zone. We ask everyone to bring their favorite Thanksgiving dish to share and we drink lots of wine and enjoy each other's company. It's a huge amount of work, but we've been doing it for a couple of years now, and everyone seems to really enjoy it.

Saturday - Was a very low-key day. I went and had my nails and toes done, took a nap, and watched some college football (Yay! Tech, Boo! Buckeyes). But really, it was about recharging my batteries. The Regatta Gala is my largest event and it's completely on my shoulders, so the pressure is tremendous. I'm trying my best not to completely freak out, but it manifests itself by waking me up in the middle of the night almost every night. I don't generally feel stressed, but then I wake up in the middle of the night freaking out about something. But, in a week and a half, it'll all be overwith. Also, I read Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn. I was pretty underwhelmed by it, but I'll write my review and send it on the RNTV. Look for it end of this month. But Mr. Cavendish, I Presume did get me very close to my half-way point for my Unleash Your Story goal. If you'd like to donate, please click the link here. If you need more information, see my post, here.

Sunday - Well, first, I'll say this, "Hail to the Redskins!" I'll be honest, I didn't pick the Skins to win in my football pool. But they played an excellent game and pulled it out. I'm always glad to lose money when I'm wrong about the Redskins. Amy and Mr. Incredible came over to watch the fourth quarter. As per usual, Mr. Incredible should be called Mr. Cutie-pants. Apparently, he was planning a trip to California...with his friend Butch. For those who don't know, Mr. Incredible is 2 and a half. Neither Amy nor I had the faintest idea what prompted his trip, but like a child after both his mother and my hearts, he had a total plan for the trip, including packing his cell phone so he could call his Mommy if he needed to. It made us laugh for a good 15 minutes. The photo is of him from the Super Bowl, so he's a much bigger boy now, but the Redskins helmet makes me happy every time I see the photo.

So, like I said, I had a very low key weekend.

Oh! But most importantly, my very good friend and co-book pimp, Katiebabs launched her blog, Babbling About Books today, go visit her for wonderful reviews and really smart, perceptive conversations about romance, reviewing, reading or whatever she happens to be thinking about.

I hope you had a good weekend, what did you do that was fun or exciting?

Kati's "Best Of" List from Summer 2008

ETA: I'm blogging over at RNTV today too about how I find new books to read. Please come on over and join us!

Reading-wise, I had a pretty darn good summer. In going back over my blog, I found that I had eight books that I gave A's to and a number of B books as well. I thought I'd review what I've read and talk about why each book worked for me. In this case, if you're looking for a good book to pick up, maybe this will inspire you.

Plus, we all know, I love nothing so much as a list. I've listed the books in grade order, highest to lowest.

A+ - The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop. These books were published several years ago (late 90s, I think, my omnibus was pub'd in late 2003) . They are the complicated and extremely dark story of Jaenelle Angeline who is a prophecy come to life. She is Witch. The story is set in another realm of earth and is fantastic in every way. The descriptions are dark and sumptuous, the setting at a time of war. Horrible things happen in these books, it's a time of war, and Bishop doesn't scrimp on the violence. But the story is one of total redemption, and utter devotion and love. I wouldn't recommend these books to everyone. Satan is a character in these books, and yes, he's one of the good guys. But the books are extraordinarily well written, and will be annual re-reads for me.

A - Trial By Fire by Jo Davis. I loved, loved, loved this book. Going so far as to finish it, turn it right over and start it again. I've re-read it twice since the beginning of August. This book features pretty much everything I love in a romance: blue collared (firefighters - yum!), BIG alpha hero, real sized heroine who is smart and doesn't put up with any nonsense from the hero, and a suspense story that doesn't overwhelm the romance. The love scenes are smoking hot and the chemistry between the two completely believable.

A - Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione. So, here's an author whose book I finished and I immediately zipped over to her website and wrote her a gushy fangirl letter. The book is dark and paranormal, featuring a very strong heroine, a demon doctor hero and combustable love scenes. The action is fast paced and the dialog is smart. It's a terrific PNR.



A - Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh. I read this book in early June, since I reviewed it for RNTV. This is the fifth entry into the Psy/Changeling series, my favorite paranormal series out there. Nalini offers a consistent, well imagined mythology that she anchors her stories around. Her heroes tend to be extremely dominant, but in many cases, her heroines are actually stronger than the heroes. The beautiful thing about Singh's books is that because of the way her mythology is set up, the *emotion* of the books is what's key. This is a superb series, although, I'd recommend starting with Slave to Sensation, the first (and my favorite) in the series to get the complete effect of the series.

A- When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason. I'll be the first to admit that Colleen is a friend of mine. I adore her. But she became a friend after I read her first book, The Rest Falls Away and wrote her an extremely gushy fangirl letter. Her being my friend doesn't take away at all from the fact that she's a darn good author. Her Gardella Vampire Chronicles tell the story of Victoria Gardella Grantworth de Lacy, a proper lady, who on the eve of her societal debut is told that she is in fact, a vampire slayer. The series is spread over five books, of which Twilight Burns is the fourth. There are two delicious men who Victoria must choose between. And at the same time, kick some vampire tush. It's a terrifically well written and researched series set in interesting locations. Gleason excels at interweaving actual historical events and artifacts into the story, which adds a terrific twist on a regular historical paranormal.

A -Death Angel by Linda Howard. Linda Howard is on my auto-buy list. I believe I own every book she's ever written. But the last few had been quite a disappointment for me. It felt like she was moving away from romantic suspense to straight suspense, which would have been a true loss to the romance world. But with Death Angel, she's back in true form. The heroine, Drea, starts out as a drug kingpin's girlfriend, and after a betrayal by her boyfriend (a BIG one!), she decides to get some revenge and escape. She's pursued by an assassin, whose name she doesn't know. But they have a prior connection, which means she intrigues him and that fact is making it hard for him to kill her. When they finally come face to face, he is fascinated by her. Can he kill her and collect the bounty on her head? This book is vintage Howard. Very, very steamy and well written. The action is virtually non-stop and the story bounces around, but in a way that makes it all the more interesting. There is a very mild paranormal element to the story, but not enough to make it qualify as PNR, I think. I read this book in one afternoon with no breaks.

A- - Before I Wake by Kathryn Smith. I just read this one last weekend. But I found myself really enjoying a new twist on paranormal romance. Dawn, the heroine, is a Nightmare, a child of King Morpheus. She is one who protects dreamers from harm. When she meets the hero, Noah Clarke, and he tells her that he thinks his dreams are trying to kill him, she knows she must step in. I loved the heroine in this book. The author makes her extremely real and relatable. And the hero is delicious and fun. There's an interesting tension between them because again, she is the stronger of the two, but he's definitely an alpha male. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think the series has terrific potential.

A- - Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins. I *loved* this book. It made me laugh out loud several times. It's the story of Chastity O'Neill. Again, a "regular" girl, she's a member of a family full of heroes. And she's fallen in love with Trevor Meade, her surrogate brother. After one hot night in college, they've agreed that they will never be together again. Or, Trevor has agreed. Chastity is struggling with it. The book is full of laugh out loud scenes and tender moments between the two of them. I'm generally not one for funny romance, but I immediately bought all of Higgan's backlist after reading this book. She's a terrific author and one to watch.

So there you have it. This is my summer "A" list books. I hope that you find something on here that you haven't read before.


What did you read this summer that you loved? Maybe I can pick up some tips from you!

Meme from Stacy

*Hat tip to Book Buzz (and Stace) for the meme.

Below is a list of three categories of books

5 MUST Read Books, 5 Books on Your Nightstand, and 5 Look For These Soon.

You should put these same lists on their blog but SUBTRACT one book from each list and ADD one of their own. (My added titles are in PURPLE.)

It will be fun to see how the lists change as it goes around the blogosphere. Please come back to this post and leave a comment so I can see how the lists are changing as they go around the blogosphere.Since this is Book Buzz…please keep your lists to titles released in 2007-2009.

MUST Read Books:
Trial By Fire by Jo Davis
Seduce Me At Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas
Freefall by JoAnn Ross
It Only Takes A Moment by Mary Jane Clark
A Mile in My Flip-Flops by Melody Carlson

5 Books on the Nightstand:
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson
Sun Kissed by Catherine Anderson
Crazy in Love by Lani Diane Rich

5 Look For These Soon:
Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas
A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas
Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Wanted by Shelley Shephard Gray
Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins

I'm going to tag anyone who stops by the blog and wants to play. Have fun!

EW's List of the 25 Most Romantic Movices in the Last 25 Years

Interesting. I'll fully admit that the romantic comedy is my all time favorite genre of movies. And I'm completely susceptible to the gushy sigh at the end of a movie. I agree with some of these movies, and see several glaring holes in other areas. Here's the top 25:

25- Beauty & the Beast
24- The Piano
23- The Wedding Singer
22- Sid & Nancy
21- The English Patient
20- In the Mood for Love
19- Y Tu Mama Tambien
18- Moonstruck
17- Say Anything
16- Amelie
15- Out of Africa
14- Ghost
13- Dirty Dancing
12- Lost in Translation
11- Edward Scissorhands
10- There's Something About Mary
9- Pretty Woman
8 - Jerry Maguire
7- When Harry Met Sally
6- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5- A Room with a View
4- Brokeback Mountain
3- Once
2- Moulin Rouge
1- Titanic

OK, well, first, I am on the record as having hated Titanic. Yes, it's a love story, but not the best romantic movie in the last 25 years. Also, how can 2005's Pride and Prejudice not be on the list? And what about The Village? SIGH.

I do agree with bunches on this list. I love Cameron Crowe movies (Say Anything, Jerry Maguire), and I love that The Wedding Singer is on the list. If I ever get married again, I want my first dance to be to "I Wanna Grow Old With You." Love A Room with a View and Once. I couldn't sit through Eternal Sunshine. Loved Moonstruck - Cher and Nicholas Cage have amazing chemistry! But some of these seem to be more "trendy" picks than based on actual romance.

What do you think? What's missing from the list?

We'll Never Forget

Do What Now?

He's back.

JJ Abrams has done it again. I watched Fringe last night, and yet again am both fascinated and stymied.

God, I love this guy. He just understands what makes for good TV. I'm not even sure I can explain the concept.

There are areas of science that are not really disclosed to "regular" people. Like teleportation, Psychic phenomenon, other fringe sciences.

On a plane bound for Boston from Hamburg, every single passenger dies. Their features seem to literally melt off of their faces, their skin crystalizes and scrapes off like sugar. The FBI is brought in, particularly, Olivia Dunham, and her partner John Scott, with whom she is having a secret love affair. During the course of their investigation, John is infected with a synthetic agent that no one can identify. He sees his attacker, before the agent is given to him. Livvy locates a fringe scientist who is institutionalized who may be able to help her. She locates his son (Joshua Jackson), who runs, shall we say, outside the law, and gets Dr. Bishop, the fringe scientist out of the hospital, and sets about finding answers for how to help her lover. Her search highlights her tenacity to the higher ups and she's drawn into a much deeper search for answers. Throughout the search, a company, Massive Dynamic is highlighted. They are a major player in the fringe science area, but it's unknown, are they good? Or are they bad?

The show features all of Abrams signature production values, gorgeous, compelling unknown actress, who is destined to be a star (Jennifer Garner, anyone?). Fantastic chemistry with the male lead (Jackson). Intriguing and mysterious company (Dharma Initiative, anyone??) which no one understands.

I totally don't have the faintest idea what is going on, but I'm in for the ride!

Did you watch? Are you a fan of JJ Abrams? Which is your favorite show?

Before I Wake Review

I'll be honest, I loved Kathryn Smith's first two Brotherhood of the Blood books and then, I just...didn't anymore. But I picked up Before I Wake, the first in the Nightmare Chronicles, because Andrea over at RNTV and JenB both raved about it. I dove in this weekend and read it pretty much straight through without stopping.

Here's the back cover blurb:

You may call it a dream job . . .

And in some ways, you'd be right. I actually get paid to study people's dreams. It comes much easier than my employers at the Sleep Center suspect; after all, I, Dawn, am the daughter of the king of the dream world, and I can roam the dreams of others, battling the nightmares that plague them.

I call it a nightmare . . .

Honestly, I could use a good night's sleep. But ever since I met Noah Clarke, I'm even more torn between the two worlds: smart, sexy, and able to control his own dreams, Noah could be my perfect man—except he's being stalked in his sleep by an unearthly evil, hell-bent on destroying him . . . and the entire world.

So, I wasn't sure what to think when I started, but at least the idea was original, so I figured why not. First, I'll say this, the heroine, Dawn, is incredibly likable. She's not a teeny, tiny woman, she's smart and has normal self-confidence issues. She's not getting hit on left and right by men. She's just...regular. Except for the fact that her father happens to be the King of Dreams, Morpheus, which makes her a bit of a freak. But she hides her powers under a deep wall of protection after she abused her powers in high school to get back at a girl who was mean to her. You see, Dawn is able to go into others' dreams and manipulate them. She is a Nightmare, a protector of dreams.

Anyway, Dawn meets Noah Clarke when he comes to the sleep clinic where she's a doctor. Noah is an artist, and a delicious male specimen. Dawn is obviously drawn to him, but knows any relationship between them would violate doctor/patient propriety. But Noah fascinates her because he is a cognitive dreamer, meaning he can change his dreams.

But soon Noah comes to Dawn because he thinks his dreams are trying to kill him. You see, Noah is being hunted by a Night Terror. Dawn knows immediately what she'll have to do, enter Noah's dreams.

What Did I Like? Well, I loved Dawn, she's smart and definitely freaked out by her abilities. She's a regular looking and acting woman. She's got family issues. She's got work issues. She's got self esteem issues. But you find yourself rooting for her. I also really liked Noah. He *wants* to protect Dawn, but in this case, she's stronger. He's an evolved, strong man, and he's definitely attracted to Dawn. But at the same time, he's extremely freaked out by what is happening to him, and what Dawn's role in his life will be. They have combustible chemistry between them, and they don't just jump into the sack, so you end up mentally screaming, "Just DO it already!" because the author does such a great job of building the tension between them. I also love the idea of The Dreaming, which is Morpheus's realm. It's a fascinating place full of magic and terror. I can't wait for the next book just so we can go back.

What Did I Not Like? Not much. There is a ton of "product placement" which kind of abruptly stops. In the beginning, Dawn is this total "girly-girl" and spends a lot of time telling us what brand of lipgloss and mascara she's wearing. But then, all of sudden, it just stops. Which is weird, but a welcome change. Also, one teeny nit. Every time Dawn has something good happen to her she says "Yay!" except that the author, for reasons that I do not understand spells it "Yayee!" Seriously. It jolted me out of the reading experience every single time. But if those are my biggest complaints, it's a pretty good book!

I give this one an A- and say if you're looking for an interesting paranormal romance that isn't like everything else out there, Before I Wake is a great choice. I know I'll be marking the date for the next installment of the series, and probably battling half the reviewing staff at RNTV for my crack at the ARC!

Bum-Bum-Bum-Bahhhhhh

If you know me, then you know, that's the Monday Night Football theme. Yes, friends, football season is back. And while it didn't go well for my team, it was a GOOOOD day for Miss Kati today. It started at 11:00 with ESPN's football preview, followed at 12:00 by the return of Fox's Pregame, which now includes Michael Strahan, who I think is going to end up being a nice addition. Then 1:00 brought the Philadelphia Eagles wiping out the St. Louis Rams, and 4:00 brought Dallas whooping up on Cleveland. I have to say, my all time favorite reality show ever is Hard Knocks, which is a show produced by NFL Films and HBO. This year it followed the Dallas Cowboys, and while I would never root for Dallas, I was interested in many of the storylines from the show. Plus, well, we all know that Tony Romo is my secret boyfriend. His dimples are my personal kryptonite, his horrible taste in blond bimboes notwithstanding. Tonight I'm watching Indianapolis and Chicago play. It's all football, all the time with me!


Anyhoo, I also read three (3!) books this weekend. I finished Promises Linger by Sarah McCarty, Blush by Opal Carew and Before I Wake by Kathryn Smith. I really enjoyed Promises Linger, but there is a strong sameness to Sarah McCarty's books, which means I'll be taking a break from reading her stuff for a few days. I was completely underwhelmed by Blush by Opal Carew, which was disappointing because I loved Swing. And I thought that Before I Wake by Kathryn Smith was another kickass paranormal. I've had such a run of most excellent para's lately. It makes my really happy. Anyway, book grades: Promises Linger (B-), Blush (D+), Before I Wake (A-). I'll blog more about Before I Wake tomorrow.

I have another crazy week on tap, so I'm not sure how much blogging I'll do, but I'd ask anyone who can to please consider supporting our Team RBTB is the Unleash Your Story initiative. We're trying to raise $1,000 in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. You can click this link to donate. Any and all donations will be most appreciated and you can rest assured put to terrific use by CFF. Thanks!

Unleash Your Story

My good friend, Michelle Buonfiglio has asked me and my fellow Bella Stacy, to co-chair her team for a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis called Unleash Your Story. The entire romance community, we're coming together to raise funds for CFF. The gist is, if you're an author, you commit to writing a number of words for the month of September. If you're a reader, you commit to reading a number of pages for the month.

Personally, I'm committing to reading 3,000 pages this month. It may be a little challenging, given that I have a huge event at the end of the month, but hey, why not use my hobby, reading, to raise money for an amazing charity that fights this horrible disease.

To learn more about the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the good work they do, click here.

Won't you consider clicking our link and supporting our team in its effort to raise $1,000??

This Is Gonna Leave A Mark

Wow. I called it. Last night I did indeed go to bed with a knot in my stomach, and it had nothing to do with the convention. The Washington Redskins looked in a word, horrible last night. Really, really bad. And the worst part is, I don't think this is an aberration. I think they're gonna look this bad all season. SIGH. I'd kind of blocked out this feeling, the one where you know your team is going to end up going something like 5-11 for the season. I think I'd better get back in touch with that emotion. Because I think I'm going to end up pissed off and disappointed pretty much all fall. If only I could break up with the Redskins. I feel like I'm in Brokeback Mountatin, I just can't quit them.

Anyway, I have no exciting plans for the weekend. There's a Tropical Storm Warning for most of the DC area due to Tropical Storm Hanna. They're calling for up to 4 inches of rain, which means H. and I will be on "pool watch" which is where we have to keep a close eye on the pool in case it fills to over flowing. In which case, we're outside in the pouring down rain draining the pool. Yes, it *is* as glamorous as it sounds.

I ordered the "Promises" series by Sarah McCarty this past week and received all of them this week, so I'm planning to dive in this weekend. I have the fourth in the series, Promises Reveal to review, and I want to get caught up before I read it. See, Julie? I am learning.

We're getting a new "outside" fridge this weekend. I find the outside fridge to be a magical phenomenon. We use ours mainly for soda, wine and beer. But when we entertain, it's fantastic to have another fridge to keep cold stuff in. We use ours extensively. H. also ordered a new grill. I bought the last one when we moved in, and it's pretty hoopdee at this point. So, she ordered a new one, which she'll spend, I'm sure a good part of the weekend building. She says that part of the gift is being able to put it together. For me, that's part of the curse. But she loves building stuff, so that, I'm sure will keep her entertained.

I'm sure I'll also watch a lot of football this weekend. Given that I have no investment in the games, I can cheer for whomever (not the Cowboys) and keep an eye on my fantasy football team. It'll be nice not to care. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous on Sunday, so I'd imagine I'll clock a little pool time.

Overall, I'm expecting a low key weekend.

How 'bout you? Doing anything wonderful this weekend??

Test Post

Just trying out my new blog template. I can't figure out how to make my right hand column wider. Anyone know??

Wow.

Tweet, tweet??

Mmmkay, still have no idea what I'm doing, but I've set up a Twitter account. Now someone explain to me what the heck it is I'm s'posed to do with it??

http://twitter.com/KatiD

Tuesday's Weekend Wrap Up

Hi Everybody! I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend. I came back from my long weekend to a storm of craziness that is to be expected less than three weeks out from my largest event.

For those who don't know about the "Regatta Gala" (as my friend Heather likes to call it), I plan a $25,000 per table Awards Dinner for the organization I work for. I manage all phases of the event, from inception to awardee selection to menu to production. It's a huge job, and a stressful one, but the payoff is it's a tremendous fundraiser for our organization, and it is a truly lovely event. But the craziness has set in. So I'll probably be a bit more sporadic in my reading and posting than usual -- at least until September 25, when the event is held. So, my apologies up front.

Anyway, Saturday I had my general overhaul. Got another 2 inches cut off my hair, which I'm now totally on the fence about. I've been getting compliments, but for the most part, I'm not loving the new cut. I think it's too short. But, we'll see how it grows out. My hair tends to do a general freak out when it first gets cut and I'm still figuring out how the heck to style it. The good thing is that my hair grows pretty quickly (except my bangs, which took forever to grow out). So, if I end up not liking it, I think by the time I go back to see her, it'll be about the length I want it, and she'll just need to trim it.

I'm also, I'm sure many who know me personally would tell you, very vain about my hands. Not that I have particularly good looking hands, in fact, I have lots of scars on them because I'm a klutz. But I love to have my nails done. So, I've had silk-wrapped nails for, oh, I don't know, probably two years now. They work great for me because my nails are very, very thin and tear quite easily, and the silk is just a very thin, but very strong layer over top. So my nails are strong, and the silk helps hold polish really well, so my nails are always "done." I'm a fan of the French manicure because it looks professional and is always appropriate. I don't actually keep my nails that long, it's more that I like them to look "done. Anyway, this is a long way of saying that I got a new "set" of nails, and I got a pedicure.

So by Saturday night, I was "overhauled" and felt OK about the results.

Sunday, I went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival with my sister's family. It was Sara's birthday on Saturday, so I did indeed treat them to IHOP, and then off we went to the Renn Fest. We had absolutely gorgeous weather. The Festival is set up in the beautiful little grove in Maryland. There is, what I'd call a permanent set there. The store fronts are all permanent and house artisans of all types from woodworkers to printmakers to jewelry. There is a large cast, all in character, who interact with festival goers, there are jousts and games to be played, and a tremendous amount of food to be eaten. I made my niece, Abby, let me buy both of us garlands for our hair. I have to say, Abby looked gorgeous in hers (see picture). Plus, being a goofy family, we had a terrific time wandering around, talking to people, eating all sorts of food, and browsing in the shops. All of the sellers were in costume, and occassionally we'd get someone in "wench" garb who would have a rogue nipple showing. It got to be kind of hilarious. Anyway, we stayed to see the Royal Court and to see the joust. Then we went and got Croissant Sundaes, which is exactly what it sounds like. Except that they are as big as your face. Abby and I each got one, and we seriously could have just shared the one. It was ridiculous, and yet just a ton of fun, and a relatively inexpensive outing.

Monday I hung out by the swimming pool for a couple of hours, which was nice. I'm working my way through J.D. Robb's "In Death" series for about the fourth time. I'm both listening to the series on audiobook, and then reading too. So, I'm currently listening to Naked In Death (Book 1), and reading Conspiracy In Death (Book 8), which I know would make some people crazy (Julie), but since I know the series inside and out, I can really pick it up wherever. Anyway, other than that, I watched a couple of movies (see below), and I wrote a LONG overdue review of Lisa Kleypas's October release, Seduce Me At Sunrise for RNTV.

Oh! Today I was at the Post Office mailing out two packages, one to Katiebabs, who very sweetly loaned me one of her copies of King of Sword and Sky by CL Wilson, and to LeeAnn, who I sent off my copy of the Lisa K. book. Anyway, right next door to the Post Office is Borders. And, well, you know what happened then. I ended up going in and buying Kathryn Smith's new book, Before I Wake, which JenB just read and liked, and since she and I have very similar tastes, I figured I'd enjoy, and then I bought The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, which has been garnering very passionate reviews. It's supposedly a love story, but an unconventional one. It's likely it'll be a while before I read it, but look how gorgeous the cover is. I couldn't resist. Or, well, I could have, but I didn't want to.

What did you do this weekend? Reading anything good? See any good movies? Eat anything particularly yummy? What's on your mind?

Great Declarations of Love: The Movie Version

I love a good romance. Not just one that I read (although goodness knows, a romance novel can make me melt pretty easily), but especially in the movies.

This weekend I watched a couple of movies, both with terrific declarations of love and intent.

First, I watched Jerry Maguire. Which sure, it's become a cliche, but man, I'd love to have a man come into a room and declare to me with no reservations, "You complete me." *swoon* It might be cheesy, but you know, sometimes cheesy works.

Second, Sula mentioned it the other day in her blog, and it made me, of course, yearn to watch it again, so I watched Last of the Mohicans. Who can help but melt, when Hawkeye says to Cora, "I will find you. No matter what, you stay strong, you survive. No matter how long it takes, I will find you." *dies* It's just so romantic.

How 'bout in Pride & Prejudice when Mr. Darcy tells Elizabeth, "You complete me body and soul."

Of course, most men don't talk like that. But man, it would be nice if they did. Later this week we'll talk about declarations of love in romance novels.

But for now, what declarations of love do you like best from the movies?