Books and Movies Galore!

I was sitting in my room this morning looking over my bookshelves and it occurred to me that I have not posted any updates about books I've read or movies I've seen since April. Granted, I've had a lot going on, but I feel a little neglectful. I mean, I haven't been so busy that I haven't read 8 books, 6 ebooks and seen 2 new movies since April 24. So, below is a list of said books, ebooks and movies. I can't promise there won't be spoilers, but I will highlight the names of the books in my reviews, so you can just read about the ones you want.

Books:
The Whispered Kiss by Marcia Lynn McClure
Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen Woodiwiss
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Dangerous to Love by Elizabeth Thornton
Whisper His Name by Elizabeth Thornton
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
The Accidental Mistress by Tracy Ann Warren
His Favorite Mistress by Tracy Ann Warren

Ebooks by Marcia Lynn McClure:
The General's Ambition
Kissing Cousins
Weathered Too Young
The Windswept Flame
Daydreams
Saphyre Snow

Movies:
Love's Unfolding Dream
Ratatouille

So I guess I'll start with the books first. The Whispered Kiss I read when on the airplane to Hawaii and then finished it a couple of days later while sitting on my hotel balcony. This was not my favorite book that MLM has written, but it still was a delightful read. I loved the Beauty and the Beast plot line. I thought the whispering and kissing was a little cheesy, but then again you read her books for the cheese. I think I'd have to say that The Heavenly Surrender is still my favorite printed book that MLM has written.

Ashes in the Wind was wonderful! I think I'm hooked on Kathleen Woodiwiss. I love the epic romance plot of her books. This one takes place during the Civil War and although this isn't my favorite time period, the book was still enjoyable. I'm still not sure why Alaina would let Cole marry her cousin, when she was the one he wanted, but I guess it all helped the plot along and intensified the romantic tension. (I love good romantic tension!) Furthermore, it was a little unbelievable that Alaina and Cole would be thrown together so many times, especially the two times that she rescues him. I loved how little by little he moved his furnishings into her room, until they finally get together and then he moves them all back. It was very cute! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I couldn't get through it fast enough.

The Host I started in Hawaii, but could only find time to read a couple of chapters at a time. Everyone I've talked to has said that the beginning is just incredibly slow. I have to be honest, I didn't think it was slow at all. It took a couple of chapters for me to get into the characters but it wasn't bad. On Memorial Day I read from page 200 to the end in one sitting. So, I thought was most gripping from that point on. Actually, I really started enjoying the story once I came up with what I thought the ending might be. (BTW I was spot on with my thoughts of what the ending would be!) I was a little uncertain where it all was headed, but once I started guessing at the ending it became more and more intriguing. The two souls in one body was weird, but I got used to it after awhile. And I just have to say Ian rocks! He is my favorite! It was an enjoyable read and if you like sci-fi fantasy books, this one will be fun for you.

Dangerous To Love looked really fun when I saw it at the library. I like Elizabeth Thornton, so I knew I was in for a good time. As I started reading it however, it seemed vaguely familiar. So, I went back through my book lists and found out that yes, I had read it before. I am a little chagrined to admit it, but it is the second book this year that I have read only to realize after I was into it that I had read it once before. This book reminded me a lot of To Love an Earl also by Elizabeth Thornton, which is my favorite book by her. Although the characters are different and the stories for all intense purposes are different the general plot lines are the same. I love in the end when she gives their names at the ball how he slid the ring on her finger and kissed the hem of her gown. I think I read that part 20 times.

Whisper His Name was interesting but definitely not a favorite. I hated all of the misunderstandings led to some really horrible outcomes. She goes to prison because of what he did. I was not very happy about that. I wouldn't want to end up with someone who took part in sending me to prison. I did like that he was a reluctant spy. That made for some fun encounters.

The Goose Girl was fantastic! I really enjoy Shannon Hale's writing style. When I was finished with the book I got out our copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales and read their version of the story. Shannon Hale hit right on. Even some of the names were the same. I loved the end and how everything turns out happily ever after. I had wondered if the horse trainer that came to visit the goose girl was perhaps the prince. She did a really good job of keeping me guessing.

The Accidental Mistress and His Favorite Mistress were ok. They would have been better had they not been part of a trilogy where the first book was so amazing. In comparison to My Fair Mistress they were just lame. Maybe if I read them again not together I'll like them better. The romance was good and all, but they story wasn't all that fun.

Ebooks are wonderful. But ebooks by Marica Lynn McClure are . . . mmmm . . . more than wonderful. I already own two of them, Summer Storms and The Rogue Knight and both of those were a lot of fun. They are short so they don't take hours to read, but it's like they pack the best parts of the story together. My friend Jill reads them at work and then sends them along to me and so far I've enjoyed them all. But let me go over them quickly anyway. The General's Ambition was a little bit creepy and could have had a lot more romantic scenes. Kissing Cousins was my favorite. Actually I think it is my all time favorite MLM story period! Granted the hero's name is kind of silly, but you don't read MLM for the names. This story was fun and clever and had some of the best romantic scenes. I also liked that you got to read what the guys were thinking instead of just the main girl. Weathered Too Young seemed a little underdeveloped. She had some great ideas for the story, but they just weren't well developed. Plus there was a serious lack of romantic scenes. She did redeem herself in the sequel The Windswept Flame. I loved all of the interactions between the two main characters. And I loved the dancing in the moonlight part. Daydreams is probably second to Kissing Cousins. I loved how he kept calling her the "candy stripper" and that she was one of his favorite things of the year. I'm surprised that he didn't go after her sooner, but it was fun to see how they met when she went looking for a job. And then lastly there was Saphyre Snow. Yes, this is the story of Snow White. I thought that it was going to be weird, but it wasn't. It actually was one of her best developed ebooks. I totally did not see the end coming. I mean I knew who she'd end up with, but I didn't expect what happened in the final confrontation with the evil queen. I loved the part about the executioner's kiss. That was interesting. I think there could have been a few more romantic scenes, but it was still a fine story.

Let's finish with movies. Love's Unfolding Dream was cute. It's not as good as some of the others in the Love Comes Softly series, but it was fun to watch. And I did get a little teary when the old lady offers to pay for the girl's schooling. Ratatouille was not as good as I wanted it to be. The story was good and uplifting, but I didn't like that everyone had French accents except the main guy and the rat. Furthermore, it was hard to understand some of the dialog because of the accents. I kind of wanted to go to sleep in the middle of it. That's never a good sign.

As a side note, this week my sister bought me a copy of New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. This time it is the paperback version and no, I am not lending it out to anyone.