Penny Watson Reviews Crocodile On The Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

Dark and Stormy is thrilled to have best selling author Penny Watson visiting us from Penelope’s Reviews to share her review for Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters.

Long before I became helplessly addicted to romance novels, I was helplessly addicted to mysteries. Back in the good old days when mysteries were sometimes fun and witty and not filled with gratuitous violence and gore. The Amelia Peabody Series by Elizabeth Peters manages to encompass both of these genres quite successfully. Peters' books are a brilliant combination of archaeology and history, well developed characters and plot, and a well-crafted and well-written story line. There is drama, wit and suspense galore.

It comes as no surprise that Elizabeth Peters actually has a doctorate in Egyptology from the University of Chicago. The larger than life setting for her mystery series (19th century Egypt) practically pops off the pages.

"On the east, the undulating yellow Mokattam hills formed a frame for a picture whose nearer charms included the vivid green strip of cultivated land next to the river, and, in the distance, shining like the towers of fairyland, the domes and minarets of Cairo. To the west and south the desert stretched away in a haze of gold."

The year I discovered this series (which currently includes 18 titles) was one of the greatest reading years of my life. I became so enamored with the Emerson family that I quickly devoured every book, in chronological order of course. I even dreamt about the characters!

Crocodile on the Sandbank, originally published in 1975, is an excellent introduction to the series. The story is narrated in the first person by Amelia Peabody, the pragmatic, intelligent, and exceedingly determined English heroine. Over the course of this first book, Amelia establishes her well-earned reputation as Sitt Hakim (Lady Doctor) and an amateur Egyptologist. The self-confirmed spinster meets her match with Radcliffe Emerson, an academic explorer with a fierce temper and a penchant for swearing (ergo his nickname "Father of Curses"). The chemistry between these two characters is as good as it gets in romantic fiction. They spar, they snap, they complement each other perfectly.

This book has everything I love--suspense, romance and a great sense of humor! There is mystery and intrigue surrounding the exploration of an Egyptian tomb and unexplained hauntings by a mummy. There are two wonderful romances that unfold in this story, involving Amelia and Emerson, and Evelyn (her companion) and Emerson's younger brother Walter. There is fabulous dialogue and banter between the characters. And there is a wonderful immersion into the world of ancient Egypt, which is highly addictive.

I am thrilled that a new installment of this series will be released in April. A River In The Sky is the 19th addition to the Amelia Peabody Series. For anyone looking for a highly satisfying and addictive series, I cannot recommend these books highly enough.

Grade: A

Penelope

And be sure to check out Penny’s best selling debut novel, Sweet Inspiration!

Lucky winner of Jax Cassidy Brush Strokes

The lucky winner of a copy of Jax Cassidy's ebook, Brush Strokes, is Beth Trissel.
Congratulations Beth and thanks for posting on Dark and Stormy!

True Love Can Be Super Rough -- Phenomenal Girl 5 by A. J. Menden

Lainey Livingston (Phenomenal Girl 5) has just been made a member of the Elite Hands of Justice, the world's premier cadre of superheroes. Her work with the Red Knights and the Power Squad was impressive; all her senses are extraordinary and her great strength and her ability to fly are equally remarkable. But no one gets a free pass to active duty, and Lainey's next test is going to be her hardest. She's to train with the Reincarnist.

Robert Elliot, the Reincarnist, is a magician who has lived multiple lifetimes, and he's the smartest man in the world and Lainey's last obstacle to a goal that has lived within her since her earliest childhood. He was personally responsible for seeing Pushstar wash out. But his eyes are the softest, kindest that Lainey has ever seen, and he's just the sort to knock her for a loop. Her first lesson: to realize that romantic entanglements among crime fighters are super exploitable, and falling in love with a man who can't die is like waving a red flag at a bull. Especially when the most fiendish plot ever is about to break over Megalopolis like a wave of fire.

What a fun book!! It was reminescent of reading Wonder Woman while I was growing up, and I mean that in the best possible way! Lainey Livingston is a young woman who is as phenomenal as her name but is one who is never going to allow another human being to force her to think less of herself, even while going through her "rookie" training. She has wanted to be a part of the Elite Hands of Justice for as long as she can remember, and that goal is the factor by which she measures her opportunities and which guides her choices. She is mouthy and forthright, qualities which could be chalked up to her youth, but are more likely to be inspired by the underlying male chauvenism that exists even in a society with superheroes. She has also been a orphan for many years and has had to "make her way in the world" all on her own. Robert Elliot is a reserved, quiet, somewhat outspoken person who seems to respond positively to Lainey's penchant for "telling it like it is." In fact, before long, he is responding to her beauty and powerful sensual aura as much as any other man. Their desire grows into love but that love is short-lived. Enter Wesley, Robert's new persona. Lainey's promotion, her struggle with Wesley while grieving over Robert's "death" are all sources of conflict besides the obvious one caused by the overwhelming evil that is discovered by the Reincarnist and faced by the EHJ.

This is a delightful book full of interesting superheroes who are subject to the foibles of all human beings, their jeolousies, their ego games, their need to excell and be first among equals. Sometimes they sounded like a room full of kindergarten children. There are curious relationships here--a man who cannot die, and having to deal with his "children" born from past relationship during past reincarnations is strange and stretches the credibility of the reader in a nice way. There is a threesome among this elite group, a centuries-old loe goddess, a homosexual superhero, and so forth. It is heartwarming to see Lainey's desire to be true to herself and to her desire to be a force for good while having to be subordinate to superheroes who, for the most part, are more concerned with publicity and celebrity status than in doing what they were asked to do as the champions for good. This book is full of power and magic, love and loss, joy and grieving, good and evil. It is not heavy-duty historical romance, but it is full of romance--the best kind of romance that embraces genuine desire and true, life-long commitment and love. Amy Mendenhall has written a very readable novel which will be a joy to read for any romance fan. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5.

Dirty Little Secret by Judi Fennell

Enter to win a copy of "Catch of a Lifetime" by Judi Fennell!

Just comment on this post! Two lucky commenters will be chosen.

Include the first part of your email address with your comment. You need to be a NOR newsletter subscriber to enter. That's how we get your full email address...so you don't have to post it all on the comment. You must be 18 or over to enter and a legal resident of the the USA or Canada. USA or Canada Shipping Only. No P.O. Boxes. No Purchase Necessary. Contest Ends: 2/19/2010

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Dirty Little Secret by Judi Fennell

Tammie, thanks so much for having me back!

The third book in my Mer series, Catch of a Lifetime, is out in stores now, and I'm loving the feedback from readers. So many have enjoyed the world-building and I have to say, I didn't know I could create a world like this.

Why? Well, here's my dirty little secret: I hate descriptive scenes, and to me, that was always the world building part. Sad, but true.

I remember, in the "old days" (AKA the 70s), reading pages and pages of description. I would skim over them. Oh, trust me, I do know all the research that went into those descriptions and, at times, I would read through them, but for the most part, I didn't want to read them. I wanted the action and the passion! The romance!

So when it came time to write about my world, I remembered that I didn't like to read gobs of description and tried to focus on the immediacy of what the characters would be seeing, all the while cognizant of making sure to show the world to the reader.

With Catch of a Lifetime, I had an easier time of scene-setting and world-building than I did with the first book in the series, In Over Her Head, mainly because most of it is set on land which is a common reference for my readers, and I'd already figured out the world in my head. Let me tell you, it's much easier to add on than to start new.

But I didn't want to rehash the same old-same old. We've been to Atlantis in In Over Her Head, so the underwater scenes in Catch of a Lifetime had to be different.

That's the great part about writing paranormal - I could make up whatever I wanted. And since we'd already been to Ceto's palace in the first book, I got to give her a new palace in Catch. New fish, new construction, a whole new look. And it was fun.

I hope people don't skim over those passages, but I've realized that if they do, they must still be "getting" the world. Still seeing the scene. If they weren't, they'd be devouring each and every word to see what I wanted them to. At least, that's my theory; you'll have to tell me if it's true or not.

Here's a passage from Ceto's second palace. What do you think?

****

Harry followed him down a long, domed tunnel decorated in abalone and oyster. Chandelier squid mantles, lit by hatchetfish and strung with pearls, dangled from the ceiling, making the whole place sparkly and girly. Ceto had invested heavily in her palace—taking the I-am-goddess-hear-me-roar thing a bit too seriously, in his opinion.

The tunnel opened into an amphitheater—which it had once been. Ceto floated—of course—on a raised dais made of glass, beneath which the most colorful of the local tropicals swam. Ionic columns held a canopy of sailcloth above her head. Probably stolen from one of her victims—she did love to live up to her Queen of the Bermuda Triangle reputation. Her chair was a sea sponge she’d bewitched into a throne for that very purpose. Ceto liked true creature comforts.

“Ah, Harry. To what do I owe the pleasure?” She swept a taloned—that is, manicured—hand before her, indicating the kowtowing area of the orchestra pit in front of her.

When the previous dynasty had ruled Atlantis, this building had been the in place. Full of hedonism and free spirits, it’d been their final corruption. The gods had reclaimed the throne for Poseidon’s heirs and moved Atlantis under Bermuda, giving Ceto, he’d heard, the opportunity to get this place for a song. Literally.

Harry tried to keep the smile off his face. The orchestra pit. She was really overdoing it. But Harry went along with it. Sometimes playing to her vanity was the best offense.

“Good day, Ceto. You’re looking lovely, as usual.” Her malachite hair squirmed around her head, also as usual, and her twin tails shifted through the full spectrum of colors. The false image of relaxation didn’t fool Harry for a second.

No one showed up at any of Ceto’s palaces without reason. This wasn’t a swim-by visit and they both knew it.

Harry settled himself in the pit as best he could while still managing to writhe enough to keep water moving over his gills. It was the one thing he hated about being a shark. Other fish could remain still, but sharks, for whatever reason, weren’t granted swim bladders. If he stopped moving, he’d drown. Rumor had it that some ancestor had annoyed a god so severely that the god had forced this on the shark’s descendants. Probably a Great White.

“Ah, Harry, such a charmer.” Ceto motioned for one of her Serving Nautiluses to offer him a snack.

Harry didn’t have as much luck keeping the smile off his face this time. The cephalopod acted as if Harry was going to take a bite of him. A little too self-important was that Nautilus. They were even worse tasting than Bipeds.

Harry shook his head, and the Nautilus left as fast as his gaseous escape mechanism—very appropriate term in Harry’s opinion—would allow.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Ceto, but I’m here on an urgent matter.”

“Oh?” The sea monster leaned forward, her shell-fillers almost spilling out of the Human top she wore.

He didn’t get the fascination she had with their clothing. It tasted awful, was a pain in the tail to pick out of his teeth, and ruined the presentation as far as he was concerned. Still, whatever floated her boat.


When he finds out what she really is, they’re both in mortal danger…

For Logan Hardington, finding a beautiful woman on his boat is surely not a problem—until he discovers she’s a mermaid, and suddenly his life is on the line…

The third novel in Judi Fennell's mermaid series, a fresh, exciting, and different entry in romance fiction!

About the Author

Judi Fennell is an award-winning author. Her romance novels have been finalists in Gather.com's First Chapters and First Chapters Romance contests, as well as the third American Title contest. She spends family vacations at the Jersey Shore, the setting for some of her paranormal romance series. She lives in suburban Philadelphia, PA. For More information, and a chance to win a romantic ocean getaway, visit www.judifennell.com.

Romance Novel Award Season

I read a romance novel a day so I’m constantly looking for new-to-me authors. That is why I love, love, love award season. This is the time of year (right around now) that review sites and magazines are announcing their Best Of’s for 2009. In these lists of nominees (and later winners), there are authors I’ve never, ever heard of yet someone out there in romance reader land (the happiest place on the planet) thinks they’re the best.

What a gift!

I immediately add these authors and titles to my to be bought list. Because I read so many romance novels, I prefer to look at the nominee lists. After reading them all, I’ll decide the winner for myself. One of my buddies reads a romance novel a week. She reads the winners. Another buddy is perverse (that’s perverse, not perverted). She refuses to read any book up for an award. She leans toward quirky romances not representative of the genre.

There are certain categories I drift to. I like to support new authors so I’ll always pick up Best Debut Book. Historical Romance is another one of my fave’s. Give me a Duke and I’m happy. Give me a scarred Duke and I’m ecstatic. There are also categories that I WISH awards had like Angstiest Vampire or Most Creative Use Of The Word Feisty. Romances are fun. We should have fun with the awards.

Devils on Horseback -- Nate's Story

Oh my, oh my, oh my! Hunks, hunks, and more hunks!! Beth Williamson keeps filling up the pages of her books with delightful and colorful characters that are rooted in the historical development of the Old West. Nate Marchand is a former lieutenant in the Confederate Army who, like thousands of others after the American Civil War, returned to homes and properties in the South that had been torn down, burned down, or otherwise made uninhabitable as well as finding that members of their families left behind in 1860 had died or been killed as "collateral damage" of that armed conflict. Together with four other Confederate soldiers who he fought with for four years, Nate finds himself on the road, searching for employment, finances, and most importantly, roots. Hired as D. H. Enterprises to remove a recalcitrant family from property that had supposedly been sold during the Civil War, the Devils on Horseback (as they call themselves) find themselves embroiled in a situation that involves greed, murder, political and governmental shenanigans as well as a beautiful young woman who rides like one who was born on a horse, shoots to kill and has the moxy which far exceeds some men of her times.

Of course you have the romance between Nate and Elisa, and since this is a romance, that is to be expected. But I found that the author developed all the characters in the Devils in bold strokes of her pen and with a great deal of detail. Those five men really live in these pages. I was also struck with Beth Williamson's sensitive characterizations of the pain of the Civil War, the anger and torment, revenge and grief, external wounds and internal damage that lived on long after 1865. One catches intriguing glimpses of the smells of battle, the horror of the prison camps, the starvation and disease that continued on after the war. There were no Americans whose lives were not changed irrevocably by that conflict. Not only were these five characters comrades in arms but they were "family" and because of that bond, they are always present in varying degrees and in various circumstances. Nate is not related to anyone of the other four except they have become his "brothers" and together they attempt to find healing and a new direction as people who have lived through Hell and survived.

The Old West was never portrayed with better word pictures, an engaging story line, balanced conflict and resolution within the plot, and, of course, the sizzle of romance that seems to creep up on people who not only aren't looking for it (at least knowlingly) but who are surprised by the holes in their souls it fills. I really enjoyed this book and loved the characterization of the Southern gentleman that seemed to have survived the awfulness of way -- a true tribute to those Southern belles who raised their men to be the "iron fist in the velvet glove." Their absolute adherence to the Southern traditions concerning justice, care for others, respect for women, and desire to be productive citizens is awesome and is a critical ingredient in who Nate really is. Williamson tells an awesome story. I hope she keeps right on giving us more glimpses in the hearts and souls of the Devils on Horseback! I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5.

Love Heals All Pain by Melissa Miller

Win an ebook copy of “Love Heals All Pain” by commenting on this blog. One lucky commenter will be selected.

Include the first part of your email address with your comment. You need to be a NOR newsletter subscriber to enter. That's how we get your full email address...so you don't have to post it all on the comment. You must be 18 or over to enter. No Purchase Necessary. Contest Ends: 2/26/2010
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Love Heals All Pain by Melissa Miller

Thanks for having me here today to talk about my latest book “Love Heals All Pain.” I've been writing for about four years. I have written six books to date. “Love Heals All Pain” is published with Hearts On Fire Books.


I am married with two boys. They are 6 and 9 and growing faster than you can keep up with. Both of my boys suffer from asthma. If any of you have children with asthma then you know what they have gone through. It's a scary thing when you sit up all night long listening to your child breath because it just didn't sound right when you put them to bed. They both get bronchitis a lot and take breathing treatments at home on top of the regular medications to prevent attacks, but they are both getting older and I hope that they grow out of it as time goes by.


I love writing. I sit down at my computer and just get away for a few hours. I don't have any set schedule or set any limits. I do it for the fun of it. That would be my advice to anyone just starting out. Keep it fun. Don't stress out about it and the story will just write itself.

Love Heals All Pain

A strong woman, Rachel Connors, faces the possibility of breast Cancer. Scared and alone she keeps her fears to herself. Going home to Tennessee for the holidays, she meets Kyle Landers.

Kyle has decided from the beginning not to like Rachel. Her absence has been hard on her family-two loving people who took Kyle under their wing when he had no one. But is his anger misplaced? Is there more to Rachel Connors than he first thought?

Overcoming a rocky beginning, Rachel and Kyle fall in love. But will it last? Can love prevail against the trials they will face?