Lion's Bride

ISBN-13: 9780553569902
Publisher: Bantam Books
Published: February 1996
451 pgs

I was sure I could not finish reading this book before the year ends, but I was glad I did. To be honest, I did not give this book any thoughts until I stumbled upon this author's new release, The Treasure, which was released in hardcover this month. Since The Treasure is a sequel to this book, I figure I should read this first although both books could be read as stand-alone.

Anyway, this is a classic historical romance sets in the 12th century in Constantinople where gender differences and slavery are not uncommon. And of course there are the battles that endanger everyone's life in the village.

Thea of Dimas, the heroine in this story, run away from the House of Nicholas where she is kept imprisoned and hoping to set foot in Damascus to start her own embroidery business. Meanwhile, she is also planning to free her younger sister, Selene and she is waiting for the right time to strike. After her caravan where she seeks refuge is destroyed, she encounters a dark warrior Lord Ware during her journey to Damascus. Feeling dead exhausted and almost dying from thirst, Thea is sure she would embrace death in no time but the brooding and powerful Lord Ware rescued her, with some coaxing from his right-hand man cum friend, Kadar. He took her to his desert fortress in Dundragon despite her refusal.

Lord Ware wastes no time in her defensive behaviour, for he is pressed with other critical issues like battles and being hunted by the Knights Templar after his discovery of their secret Lion Throne. However, it seems that his enemies have found his weakness by killing those who are close to him. Thea is a strong woman with a mind of her own; she refuses to take orders from an arrogant man like Lord Ware but once she realized and understand what Lord Ware had gone through, she stays by his side after he has promised to free her sister on her behalf. And although there is always danger lurking around the corner, still they cannot fight the attraction they have for each other as the days goes by. I think there is no need for me to elaborate further as I figure the readers could very well imagine what would happen towards the end.

I think I would have enjoyed Lion's Bride more if I were to read this book a few years back. Probably because I have not been reading a lot of historical romances lately, hence they have somehow lost its touch to me. Still, I think the premise and the characters are great, although I have to admit that reading about the women who were being treated badly and unfairly at those times are disturbing. Lord Ware strikes me as a man who may appear cold on the exterior, but actually he has a soft heart. I also enjoyed reading about Thea's younger sister, Selene and Kadar, whom the latter was asked to rescue Selene by Lord Ware. And this is where their story will be told in Iris Johansen's latest release, The Treasure. I am looking forward to reading the sequel; and I am also hoping that I would be reading more historical romance in the coming year. I cannot promise I will, but at least reading this book is a good start.

Finally, I want to wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Happy New Year!

Wordless Wednesday

Book(s) of the Year

As I mentioned in a post earlier, I would post my 'Book of the Year' and here it is. I need to specify that the lists are merely books I read this year and hence, are my favourites. Each book is unique and is a great story on its own. Actually when I started doing this for 2005, I asked myself this question - how could it possibly to list only one book when there are several genres out there? Because I did it for fun (and for myself) at that time, I ignored this question and went ahead to list one anyway. Trust me, it is a tough decision. It is like asking me to choose a piece of cake when there are a dozen of others with different designs and flavours! (I have a sweet tooth! Ha!)

So this time around, I told myself I have to be more specific and fair. Still, it is a tough decision to make. But I suppose it is for the best. Anyway, I have shortlisted the books and listed them into three categories (Fiction & Literature, Mystery & Crime/Thrillers and Fantasy). As I did not read a lot of romances or horror fictions this year, this explains why I left them out from the shortlisted list.

Well, I think I have rambled enough. Here are some of my favourite books:

Fiction & Literature
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi
Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald
Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg
Loved Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos
The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

Mystery & Crime/Thrillers
The Treatment by Mo Hayder
Sacred Cows by Karen E. Olson
No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
In the Woods by Tana French
The Likeness by Tana French
Out by Natsuo Kirino
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Fantasy
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Feast of Souls by C.S. Friedman
Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (I classified this book under this category since it deftly blends the legend of Sleeping Beauty)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

So... are you ready to read further?

My 'Book of the Year' under the Fiction & Literary category goes to... Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg!
Reason: This book had me utterly speechless right after I finished the book. First, I was totally blown away by the plot, it is original and not to mention there is humor, intrigue and suspense in this story. What's more, I love reading books about books, and this is just one of them!

Another 'Book of the Year' under the Mystery & Crime/Thrillers category goes to... The Likeness by Tana French!
Reason: Her novels are always so intense and full of suspense. I remember I was "wowed" by her debut novel, In the Woods where it features a young boy and his other two friends have gone into the woods and disappeared. Twenty years later, the boy who came out alive became a detective, and the murder case he was asked to resolve reminds him of the childhood trauma so many years ago. In The Likeness, the protagonist (not to confuse with the protagonist from In the Woods) became the victim and although it is still a psychological suspense, it focus more on one's weakness and what it takes to be an undercover to find the killer. Seriously, this book really had me hooked from the beginning till the end!

Finally, the 'Book of the Year' under the Fantasy category goes to... Feast of Souls by C.S. Friedman!
Reason: I swear I had a hard time deciding on this one! Why? Because there are also books by big authors like Shannon Hale and Neil Gaiman, and both of them are my favourite authors! However, this book stood out among all because of the complex plot, the interesting cast of characters and what's more, this is a story about sorcery and magic. It is believed that the darkness does not lies from the magical power but within the hearts of men instead (I love stories that deals with humanity). As usual, it is the good versus the evil and I am already looking forward to the next instalment already!

So this is it! Goodbye 2008! Here's to another great reading year!

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

My teaser sentences for today [Lion's Bride by Iris Johansen (Pg 60)]:.

"Life is always a battle. You can't stop it; you can only choose the battleground," he said as if reading her thoughts. "If a pigeon reaches its target, men die. If a falcon stops the pigeon, different men die."

Books Read 2008

Wow, is 2008 coming to an end already? Looking back, I think I did quite well with my reading for this year, considering I read only 56 books last year! It definitely seems there is a vast improvement to me, and of course I need to mention that having some time off from work definitely helps with my reading too.

Below is a list of the books I read this year. I am currently reading Lion's Bride by Iris Johansen, and although I started reading it last Friday, I am not sure if I am able to finish it before the year ends... so we shall see.

The asterisk noted are books that are shortlisted for my 'Book of the Year', which I will be posting in a few days' time. I am not even sure if I could name just one favourite book for this year, since all of them are my favourites anyway. Who knows? I might list a favourite book for each genre instead...

January Reads
1. Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts
2. The Treatment by Mo Hayder *
3. The Italian Billionaire's Christmas Miracle by Catherine Spencer
4. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
5. Little Face by Sophie Hannah
6. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini *
7. Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
8. Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
9. The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek

February Reads
10. Next to Die by Marliss Melton
11. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
12. First Drop by Zoe Sharp
13. My Lover's Lover by Maggie O'Farrell
14. The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi *
15. Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald *

March Reads
16. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
17. Sacred Cows by Karen E. Olson *
18. Thigh High by Christina Dodd
19. Just For You! by Christine Leeson
20. The Strawberry Picker by Monika Feth
21. The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett
22. Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg *

April Reads
23. The Mercenary by Cherry Adair
24. The Millionaire's Convenient Bride by Catherine George
25. Talking In Your Sleep by Samantha Hunter
26. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly *
27. Away by Amy Bloom
28. Loved Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos *
29. The Ghost Library by David Melling
30. Dingo by Charles de Lint
31. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale *
32. Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
33. Hell Island by Matthew Reilly
34. Feast of Souls by C.S. Friedman *
35. Death's Door by Quintin Jardin

May Reads
36. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
37. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale *
38. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
39. One True Thing by Anna Quindlen
40. Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
41. Fire and Ice by Anne Stuart
42. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield *

June Reads
43. Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese
44. The Summer Jenny Fell In Love by Barbara Conklin
45. Dagger-Star by Elizabeth Vaughan
46. No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay *
47. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
48. Massie by Lissi Harrison
49. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen *
50. The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani *

July Reads
51. The Greek Tycoon's Defiant Bride by Lynne Graham
52. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
53. InterWorld by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
54. The Ring by Jorge Molist
55. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
56. Body Language by Suzanne Brockmann
57. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

August Reads
58. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
59. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
60. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
61. Meet Delaney by Jackie Mahaney
62. In the Woods by Tana French *
63. Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

September Reads
64. The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason
65. Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason
66. The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason
67. Sky Burial by Xinran
68. When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason
69. Flashpoint by Jill Shalvis

October Reads
70. The Likeness by Tana French *
71. Out by Natsuo Kirino *
72. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman *
73. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
74. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
75. What the Lady Wants by Jennifer Crusie
76. Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter

November Reads
77. The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein
78. Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka
79. The Society of S by Susan Hubbard
80. Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright
81. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
82. Fangland by John Marks

December Reads
83. Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
84. Wild for Him by Janelle Denison
85. Dewey:The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
86. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
87. Christmas Getaway by Anne Stuart, Tina Leonard & Marion Lennox

88. Lion's Bride by Iris Johansen

Musing Mondays - Books Recommendation

How often do you recommend books to others, and who do you recommend them to? Do you only recommend books to your “reading friends” or to anyone you think might find the book interesting? What does it take for a book to make it to your ‘recommendation’ list?

I love recommend books to anyone. One would thought most of my friends must be booklovers too since I am one, but they are not. At least they do not read as much as I do. Ever since I started blogging, I get recommendations from other bookbloggers by reading their blogs and vice versa. Slowly I get acquainted with some of them and knew their reading preferences, thus I will recommend books to them according to their preferences. However, there are times that I do recommend books that are not their usual reads but I know they might be interested because of the intrigue plots, a certain subject matter or any other things that would spark their interest. Books that make it to my recommendation list are those that I liked and would linger in my mind after I have finished reading.

How about you?