TRUST ME, it's another Sunday Salon

It's Sunday again and while I may not have been posting as regularly as I'd like I have been reading. And reading. And reading. As it stands, I am currently engaged in 3 books, each one quite different from the last.

The book I currently have grasped in my not-so-grubby little hands is the newly released TRUST ME by Brenda Novak; a romantic suspense by one of the genre's greatest.

Four years ago Skye Kellerman was attacked in her bed by a knife wielding rapist. While she was able to defend herself and wound her attacker, the trauma that was caused has stuck with her ever since. Now Sky, along with two friends--other women who are also survivors of tragedy and pain--, runs an organization dedicated to helping other victims of crime. But Sky's past still haunts her and with the news that Oliver Burk, her attacker, is to be released from prison in just a matter of days, Skye can't manage to grab a decent nights sleep. Luckily for Sky she's not alone. Detective David Willis, the investigator who was assigned to her case, still believes Burk to be a danger to society as well as a mass murderer. With both Skye and him digging into Burk's past, how may more secrets will surface before he's put away for good?

So far the novel is enjoyable. Novak has created a very in-depth plot with twists and turns that don't leave one lost or confused. Her story telling is consistent (Un-consistent story telling, plot lines, and tone tend to drive me nuts!) and her characters are well defined. While not as suspenseful as most, TRUST ME is keeping me intrigued enough to keep reading. In fact, I keep forgetting this is a romantic suspense so when those little romance novel nuances pop up they annoy the hell out of me.
I'm currently on page 218 of 435

Before this I was, and I guess still am, reading next month's ETERNAL PLEASURE by Nina Bangs. This one is a paranormal romance with an emphasis on sex.

When Kelly Maloy is offered a rather handsome sum to drive a man around town for a couple of weeks, she jumps on it. Her career at a local zoo may be emotionally fulfilling but it doesn't offer much in the way of pay and college isn't going to pay for its self. But she wasn't expecting the oh-so-sexy Ty Endeka or the terror and desire he stirred in her. What she also didn't expect was that Ty had the soul of a prehistoric menace or that he was the eleventh in a group of defenders who may be humanity's last chance at survival.

This one started out very intriguing but quickly devolved into a paranormal with the soul of an erotica. Sure, the call for sex and "bone deep" desire when paired with a great story telling can create a very moving story, but when it becomes over powering? Yah, not my cup of tea. Besides, it tends to weaken the plot. Another thing that annoyed me was Ty. Ok, so he has the soul of T. Rex. Got it. His boss, Fin, has given him the knowledge of man kind. Got that, too. What I don't get is why Ty doesn't understand emotion but understands everything else perfectly well. *sigh* So damn annoying...
I'm currently on page 160 of 308

Lastly, the book that I started with, TEMPTATION OF THE WARRIOR by Margo Maquire. A historical romance that is borderline paranormal fantasy. I guess.

To save his people from destruction, Merrick Mac Lochlainn has traveled through time into the 19th century in search for a magical jewel. He knows it won't be easy but he never expected trouble would find him so quickly. Trouble would be Jenny, the orphan turned teacher who is being accosted by bandits. When the handsome and powerful stranger saves her only to be injured himself, Jenny feels a deep need to help him despite her rush to track down the woman who stole her last family heirloom. And with a band of gypsies calling him her husband, she sees no desire to disagree. At least not until the handsome stranger who stirs her maiden blood can take care of himself.

It's at this point, when Jenny is thick in the gypsy caravan, that the story slows. I mean really slows. Despite her innocence and jaded look towards men, Jenny finds herself deeply attracted to Merrick. So attracted that she's finding it hard to fight off his advances . But Jenny won't let herself get too close to him because she believes, quite adamantly, that he's married. Merrick, despite his memory loss, believes he is married to Jenny (as he would, since everybody around him says so and the attraction they feel for each other just screams "We are married!"...). Throw in some jealousy and you have 50% of the novel. All of which occurs in the caravan. There is some magic thrown in at the end, but I haven't seen much of it yet. I just hope this one gets better, not worse.
I'm currently on page 80 of 375

So that's it for my Sunday. That's also it for my week, basically. I did receive my very first yaoi manga, but that's a post for another day.