Stephanie Laurens: A comfortable wife, The lady chosen ja Loving Rose

Stephanie Laurens kirjoittaa rutiininomaisia historiallisia viihderomaaneja, joissa päähenkilöiden elämäntilanteet keikahtavat raiteiltaan ja lopputuloksena on, mitäpä muuta kuin onnellinen loppu. Laurens kirjoittaa melkolailla näppärästi, vaikka erityisen omaperäisiksi näitä tarinoita ei voi sanoa. Mutta lajityypissään nämä kirjat eivät huonoimmasta päästä ole.

A comfortable wife (Severn House, 2014; ISBN 978-0-7278-8454-1)

Miss Antonia Mannering had made plans, and Lord Philip Ruthven played a large part in them. They had been childhood friends, but had not seen each other for years. She knew Philip was popular with the ladies, but he had never married any of them. Wouldn't he now be ready for a wife? If she could prove to him that she could run his home, not disgrace him in Society and be a comfortable wife for him, surely he would be prompted to propose to her. That they might fall in love had never occurred to her!

The lady chosen (Piatkus, 2009; ISBN 978-07499-4023-2)

Tristan Wemyss, Earl of Trentham, never expected he'd need to wed within a year or forfeit his inheritance. But he is not one to bow to the matchmaking mamas of the ton. No, he will marry a lady of his own choosing. And the lady he chooses is the enchanting neighbour living with her family next door. Miss Leonora Carling has beauty, spirit and passion

Loving Rose - the redemption of Malcolm Sinclair (Piatkus, 2014; ISBN 978-0-7499-5872-5)

Miraculously spared from death, Malcolm Sinclair erases the notorious man he once was. Reinventing himself as Thomas Glendower, he strives to make amends for his past, yet he never imagines penance might come via a secretive lady he discovers living in his secluded manor. Rose has a plausible explanation for why she and her children are residing in Thomas's house, but she quickly realizes he's far too intelligent to fool. Revealing the truth is impossibly dangerous, yet day by day, he wins her trust, and then her heart. But then her enemy closes in, and Rose turns to Thomas as the only man who can protect her and the children. And when she asks for his help, Thomas finally understands his true purpose, and with unwavering commitment, he seeks his redemption in the only way he can - through living the reality of loving Rose.

Chris Dickie: Photography - the 50 most influential photographers in the world

Chris Dickien pienikokoinen kirja kertoo valokuvaamisesta ja valokuvaajista, kukin heistä esiteltynä aukeaman laajuisena tietoiskuna: Photography - the 50 most influential photographers in the world (A & C Black, 2009; ISBN 978-1-408-10944-1).



Teos ei ollut tiiviydessään hassumpi, ja vaikkakaan mitään uutta tai omaperäistä ei teoksesta voi sanoa löytyvän, toimivat selkeästi ja tiiviisti kirjoitetut tekstit tietosanakirjamaisena katsauksena valokuvauksen historiaan. Kutakin kirjassa olevaa valokuvaajaa kehutaan hiukan eri tavalla, ja toki syytäkin on kun kyse on valokuvaajista joista kukin edustaa oman osaamisalueensa huippua.

In addition to profiling the most important photographers of past and present, this book presents a capsule history of photography and explores significant trends and developments in the field. Brief biographies with identifying photos include Matthew Brady, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe, Annie Liebovitz, Richard Avedon, Ansel Adams, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, and 40 other major figures in portraiture, fashion, photojournalism, documentary, landscape, and photographic art.

J.A. London: Darkness before dawn

J.A. Londonin nuorille suunnattu vampyyritarina jätti kylmäksi: Darkness before dawn (HarperCollins, 2012; ISBN 978-0-06-211432-7).



Kirja aloittaa trilogian, mutta en päässyt romaanissa juuri alkua pidemmälle. Sain vaikutelman ikään kuin tätä tarinaa olisi ilmestynyt aiemmin jo enemmänkin, mutta mitään sellaista kertomuksessa ei ollut joka olisi saanut kiinnostumaan päähenkilöstä tai romaanin vampyyrejä vilisevästä fantasiamaailmasta.

Kirjaan on sekoitettu monenlaisia dystopiatarinoiden elementtejä, mutta tavalla joka jättää kielelle teollisen tuotannon maun.

Only sunlight can save us.

We built the wall to keep them out, to keep us safe. But it also makes us prisoners, trapped in what's left of our ravaged city, fearing nightfall.

After the death of my parents, it's up to me—as the newest delegate for humanity—to bargain with our vampire overlord. I thought I was ready. I thought I knew everything there was to know about the monsters. Then again, nothing could have prepared me for Lord Valentine . . . or his son. Maybe not all vampires are killers. Maybe it's safe to let one in.

Only one thing is certain: Even the wall is not enough. A war is coming and we cannot hide forever.

When seventeen-year-old Dawn Montgomery, daughter of the slain delegates to ruling vampire Lord Valentine, becomes the new delegate she finds herself falling in love with Valentine's kindhearted son, and risks her life when she is drawn into their dangerous political game.

Lorraine Heath: She tempts the duke jne.

Lorraine Heath komeilee myyntilistojen kärjessä historiallisilla viihderomaaneillaan, joissa piisaa juonenkäänteitä, mutta lukija toki tietää miten romaaneissa tulee käymään, sillä onnellinen loppu on taattu jokaikisessä teoksessa. Aika ajoin romaaneissa on omaperäistäkin sisältöä. Tekstin helppolukuisuus on varmasti yksi selitys romaanien suosiolle, romanttisesta todellisuuspaosta puhumattakaan.

She tempts the duke (Avon, 2012; ISBN 978-0-06-202246-2)

New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath writes sweet temptations—richly, deliciously passionate, high concept historical romance in the vein of Lisa Kleypas and Liz Carlyle. With She Tempts the Duke, Heath kicks off another enthralling series, this time following the fortunes of the Lost Lords of Pembrook—three dark and dangerous noble brothers imprisoned and robbed of their inheritance, but free now and determined to reclaim their birthright. Set in England during Victoria’s reign, She Tempts the Duke is the enthrallingly romantic story of Sebastian, who fled to battle, and his return to London, a hardened soldier, drawn to the beautiful, brave lady who helped him and his brothers escape their captivity.

Lord of temptation (Avon, 2012; ISBN 978-0-06-210002-3).





Passions of a wicked earl (Avon, 2010; ISBN 978-0-06-192296-1)

With Passions of a Wicked Earl, USA Today and New York Times bestseller Lorraine Heath kicks off a new series of delightfully sinful historical romance novels featuring “London’s Greatest Lovers.” The first romantic adventure involving the titled and rakish sons of a scandalous Dowager Duchess and their tales of passion, pleasure, and love, Passions of a Wicked Earl concerns the innocent and unfairly disgraced young wife of the first brother and her brazen attempts to win back the dashing rogue’s heart…by any means necessary!

Between the devil and desire (Avon Books, 2009; ISBN 978-0-06-135564-6)

The ladies of the ton won't stop whispering about deliciously wicked Jack Dodger—once a thieving street urchin, now the wealthy owner of London's most exclusive gentleman's club. There's no pleasure he hasn't enjoyed, no debauchery the handsome scoundrel won't provide for the lords who flock to his house of carnal intrigue.

London's most virtuous lady—honorable, uncorrupted, and all too human

Olivia, Duchess of Lovingdon, would never associate with such a rogue. So when Jack is named sole heir to the duke's personal possessions, the beautiful, well-bred lady is outraged. Now, Olivia is forced to share her beloved home with this despicable man.

Caught between the devil and desire

But Olivia's icy disdain is no match for Jack's dangerous charm. His touch awakens desire. His kiss demands surrender. She will struggle to bar Jack from her heart . . . but her body, coveting divine release, will not let her bar him from her bed.

The duke and the lady in red (Avon Books, 2015; ISBN 978-0-06-227626-1)

When Rosalind Sharpe gains the attention of the deliciously wicked Duke of Avendale, she's torn between her distracting attraction to the notorious rogue and the knowledge that he, rich as Croesus is the perfect target for a deception that will put her swindling days behind her. However, Avendale is no fool. After he discovers the tantalizing lady packing up to leave London with his coins in tow, he confronts her with a scandalous proposition: she can have all the money she requires ... for a week in his bed. Desperate for the funds, Rose agrees, but on one condition: he must never question her motives. Avendale quickly sees beneath her mask and discovers she is more than passion and pleasure - she is everything he has ever desired. But claiming her requires he unveil her secrets and lose her forever. Unless he can put his own dark past aside and risk everything for a chance at love.

Catriona McCloud: Straight up

Catriona McCloudin romaani löytyi kirjaston palautettujen kirjojen hyllystä, ja tuntui kiinnostavalta kuvaukselta viihdeteollisuuden kummallisesta maailmasta: Straight up (Orion, 2008; ISBN 978-0-7528-9382-2).



Loppujen lopuksi kävi kuitenkin niin, että teos tuntui jaarittelevan ihan toissijaisista asioista, eikä tarina koskaan tuntuvan lähtevän liikkeelle, ainakaan siihen menessä kun viimeinenkin into romaanin lukemiseen lopahti. Ehkä kirjoittajalla on sanottavaa ja kerrottavaa, mutta vaikutti että tässä romaanissa siitä ei ole merkkejä.

Verity Drummond - florist by trade and a fantasist by nature - deals with the end of her marriage by writing Straight Up, a novel in which a man on a mountaineering expedition (bearing a striking resemblance to her ex) dies all alone in a hole in the ice, starving, wretched, and with his broken bones poking through his skin. Meanwhile in Hollywood, Jasmine and Patrice want to adapt Straight Up for the screen. When Verity goes to meet them, somehow, between the dead man on the mountain and her inability to admit that she's just another divorcee like the rest of California, she becomes The Widow. The buzz around the script, now "based on a true story," begins to grow and with it, the biggest rolling snowball and the tightest tangled web of Verity's life. The story whirlwinds from LA to NYC - and while the voice as is sharp as it is dark, there is a top-note of poignancy, and 100 laughs along the way.