Impulsive by HelenKay Dimon - A Review(-ish)

Katie Long meets Eric Kimura at a wedding that her sister is catering. The original plan was for Katie to keep an eye on Eric. You see, Eric is a rising star in legal circles and is planning to make a run for prosecutor. He attends his ex-girlfriend's wedding to show the world that he's totally fine with her wedding. The truth is though, he loved Deana, and he's crushed that she's marrying someone else. So when he sees a hot, young waitress looking at him at the wedding, one things leads to another and next thing you know, they're in the bathroom having the hottest encounter he's ever had.

Eric walks away from the encounter feeling awful. He doesn't even know the girl's name. He's a gentleman, and he certainly didn't treat this girl like one. He decides to track her down, apologize, and also, make clear that he's running for office, and this little detail could really hurt his campaign. When he tracks Katie down, he apologizes, but also realizes that this woman sparks feelings and desire in him like he's never experienced.

For her part, Katie took the gig watching Eric because she needs money to go to school. She's been a trainwreck most of her life, forcing her responsible older sister to bail her out of different situations she's gotten herself into. But she's decided to turn over a new leaf. No more hairbrained schemes. No more hanging with the wrong people. Just school and finally getting her life back on track. The money she earns reporting on Eric's movements during the wedding will help her do this. Of course, she doesn't count on a sexual encounter happening with the mark himself at the wedding. But Katie figures she doesn't need to tell her employer that she had hot steamy sex with Eric at the wedding. She can just unequivocally tell her employer that Eric did not have any contact with the bride. But when Eric shows up at the catering shop the next day, Katie is thrown for a loop. Not only do they have incendiary chemistry, but she met him under false pretenses. How will she come clean with him about it? And when he finds out, will he be furious?

I'm on the fence about this book. I like Eric quite a bit. He's a good guy. He's ambitious enough to run for office, but also knows who his friends are, and he really seems to care for Katie. He's not just worried about the news of his and Katie's liaison at the wedding, but he genuinely feels awful about not even getting her name after having hot sex with her. He's a nice guy, and as he gets to know Katie, he discovers that he'd really like to have a relationship with her.

On the other hand, I was less sold on Katie. Probably because romance by deceit is one of my least favorite tropes. And Katie just isn't fully honest with Eric. She comes sort of clean, but even as she's claiming to "love" him, she's still not being completely honest with him. Part of it is immaturity. Part of it is that Katie is just kind of shallow. She uses sex constantly to distract Eric from being mad at her. I totally understood why after two weeks Katie would be in love with Eric. I understood less why Eric would be in love with her. She gets caught being less than honest, he spends a lot of time admiring her "bravery" which to me seemed alot more like Katie backed into a corner and having to come clean. I don't know, I just...didn't buy them living happily ever after. Why would he tie himself to a woman who he knows is a liar? Especially when he's running for office? I just didn't buy it,

All of that being said, I find Dimon's writing to be really engaging. She writes smart dialogue and her sex scenes are hot and earthy. She wrote a couple of secondary characters who I really liked. I think more than anything, the premise of this book didn't really work for me. But I'd definitely give HelenKay Dimon's writing another chance, with a book with a difference premise.

Final grade: B-/C+

Embracing the Letter C - In ALL It's Glory!

Pardon?

I'm sorry to tell you, the Dancy family turkey (a 20 pounder!) will NOT be receiving a pardon.

I wish you and your the very happiest of Thanksgivings! Enjoy the grub!

Love at First Sight

A few weeks ago on Facebook, I did one of those meme's and one of the questions was, "Do you believe in love at first sight," and I said no.

I believe in lust, attraction, interest at first sight. I believe in the overwhelming belief when you meet someone that they are going to be important in your life. But I don't believe that one takes one look at a person and is immediately in love. Which is weird, because I'm a romance reader, and frankly a deep romantic at heart. But inherently, I feel that one has to know something about another person in order to fall in love.

And I guess it comes down to what the word love means to you. Now, I throw the word love around all the time. I say things like "Eclairs? I LOVE eclairs!" or "I will love you forever if you get me a cupcake." But I don't really mean LOVE, love. Not the kind of love a man and woman feel for each other. To me, love like that doesn't spark upon laying eyes on someone. I mean, you could get the feeling you needed to know that person, know more about that person, or be very attracted to that person.

But love? No.

To me, love is that all encompassing, overwhelming adoration that we feel for our significant others. That feeling that no day is quite complete without seeing them or speaking to them. That feeling that if something happens, you drop everything to be there. That feeling that you just want physical contact with them. The first thought in the morning, the last thought at night.

And that doesn't happen when your eyes meet for the first time across a crowded room.

YOUR TURN: What do you think? Do you believe in love at first sight? Has it ever happened to you?

Jumping On The Character Bandwagon

One of the cool parts about reading romances that are series books is that I occasionally imprint on a secondary character and then become completely focused on them getting their happily ever after. I'm not as sure that the authors who write them are as thrilled as I am that I've found a character to love, but whatever. This is about me.

I imprinted almost immediately on Maximillian Pesaro from Colleen Gleason's Gardella Vampire Chronicles. Back in The Rest Falls Away, where it looks like Max was just a secondary. Of course, it turned out that he was hero-material all along, but in the beginning, I began sending Colleen emails that said things like:

Dear Colleen:

I loved The Rest Falls Away. You're going to give Max an HEA, right?? RIGHT?! Don't make me thrown down with you, woman!

Love and Kisses,
Kati

It's possible I've also threatened Samantha Kane, who writes the Brothers in Arms series (if you haven't read it, WTH is wrong with you, get thee to Ellora's Cave IMMEDIATELY!), with bodily harm if Verity doesn't get her story. Especially because in book 3 of the series, Sam teased HARD about Very's heroes.

I'm lucky enough to be on Nalini Singh's eARC list, meaning that I almost always get an eARC of her forthcoming books. *keeping my fingers crossed that that is true about Hawke's book as well*. Anyway, I just started reading Archangel's Consort this week. When I read Archangel's Kiss, I sent Nalini a note as soon as I finished the book asking about Jason. Jason is a member of Raphael's Seven and is the spymaster. He has wings of soot black, and a tribal tattoo that covers the left side of his face. And he's angsty and dark and tortured. And CLEARLY needs the love of a good woman. Given that he's never known love in any form.

I'm not sure Nalini is really ready for me to start in on her about Jason, when there are other, more popular members of the Seven that readers are looking for stories about. But I can tell you now, that I am on the Jason Bandwagon, and will be beginning my campaign for my dark, angsty spymaster to get his HEA. Not sure I'll rest until it happens.

Trust me, after you read Archangel's Consort, you won't either.

YOUR TURN: Have you ever written an author asking for a specific character's story? Are you on any secondary character's "team"?

10 Things

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long absence, we had a Space Shuttle launch that never quite happened, and I ended up just not being able to blog while I was in Florida.

1- I've been reading quite a bit lately. I finished Indulgence in Death, the 33rd installment in JD Robb's In Death series. Honestly? Not so much. I thought it was a fine installment, but I have to say the last couple have underwhelmed me. Which hurts my heart because I love Nora Roberts like nobody's business. I'm hoping the next installment, where Peabody gets to be the primary is going to be a better installment. Because as of now, I'm a bit off the series.

2- I'm almost done with Happy Ever After, the final Bride Quartet series by Nora Roberts. Man, have I enjoyed this series. Yes, it's about wedding planning, which is right in my wheelhouse. But it's also been lovely to have a straight contemporary series from Nora. She writes them so beautifully, and this book is no exception. On top of that, these are seriously some of the most stunning covers ever! I bought this book in eFormat, but will be buying the actual book to finish off my personal copies. They're just too pretty not to own.

3- I also read Christmas in Sunday Harbor, which is the lead off book for Lisa Kleypas's new series set in Sunday Harbor in Washington state. This book is really a novella. I bought it as an eBook, and was perfectly happy to while away the two hour flight with it. But honestly? I can see where readers get heartburn from paying HC prices for this book. It was a very sweet story, but I didn't quite connect with it the way I have with her other contemporaries. Which makes me a bit sad. I'm hoping the next installment will knock my socks off.

4- Probably most of you already know this, but the Space Shuttle launch was pushed to another attempt at the end of November. November 30th to be exact. I'm not sure yet whether I'll be traveling back to Florida for it. I hope so, as it's going to be a night launch, and it will again be completely spectacular. We'll see what happens though.

5- While I was in Florida, I contracted the most bizarre rash. It started on the backs of my ears and spread in a V shape down my back. It was honestly excruciating as I couldn't reach the bulk of it. I finally went to the doctor last Wednesday (after I got off the plane, and before I even went home) and got some meds for it. They're helping, but not as fast as I'd like. Scott spent most of this weekend alternating between spreading a steroid cream on the rash and telling me to quit with the scratching. Reason number #20457 why he's the best man I know.

6- Speaking of Scott, this weekend he reminded me how to play canasta. I'd known at some point in the distant past, and know I played a four player version with my roomie and our friends Donna and Megan, but couldn't really remember all the rules. Turns out I LOVE canasta, and now can't wait to play again. I love card games where a ton of strategy is in play.

7- We're doing our Thanksgiving with Friends again on the 20th. Chris and Beth are hosting, which H. and I think is slightly nuts, given that Beth has a newborn at home. But then again, Beth is literally the most organized person I know, and I'd imagine she'll pull it off better than ever before, even with feeding Timmie.

8- My overall holiday plans are going to be interesting this year. Now that I'm firmly entrenched as part of a couple, Scott and I are juggling meeting all of our family obligations, including both of our parents being in town over Thanksgiving (mine in DC, his in Richmond), and his kids' schedules, and how we're going to handle Christmas. It's really important to both of us that we be together for both holidays, so we'll make it work, but it's going to require a pretty well timed schedule to be sure we make all of our obligations. I'd forgotten how to do this, I've been single so long.

9- Yup, still unbeaten in my Fantasy Football league. Yup, still no idea how that happened.

10 - I watched last week's Private Practice episode yesterday. It was an incredibly brutal portrayal of one of the main characters being raped and the initial aftermath of the crime. The character herself is not the most likable. But the actress, Kaydee Strickland, who is probably the most gifted actors on the show was stupendous in portraying the bewilderment, horror, stoicism and bravery that survivors of this crime must have. I know a couple of rape survivors: two of the strongest women I've ever met. And what got me was when Charlotte (the character) spoke about how in Lifetime movies you always see the survivor sitting in the shower, crying, and when the depiction of the crime happens, the victim has glazed over eyes while a Lilith Fair song play in the background. But that the reality of it is that it is unthinkable, and hot, and physical and rending and invasive and that there really is no horror to simulate it. I'm not a survivor of rape, but I think that Private Practice did a good thing, depicting the horror of it as vividly as they did. Maybe it will make people think. I know it did me.

On that somber note, tell me what's going on with you? What are you reading? Have you seen Private Practice? What are your holiday plans??