Laurell K. Hamilton: Bullet

World of Books October 8, 2010 Leave a comment

Who thought Mother of all Darkness was dead?!

I for one didn’t. I mean there’s no way they were going to kill her so easily. Turns out that was true and boy, is it going to be even more difficult killing her now.

But, they do have a plan by the end of the book, one that requires a lot of metaphysical pondering for us readers (I for one just went with the flow and didn’t try thinking it through). I mean it really sounded complicated who had what powers and how they kept each other in check, and who went behind whose back in order to keep thing relatively even and then who is going to get killed slowly and painfully because of what they did… Anyway, I just wanted to get to the action so I just read through it and didn’t try to find my way through the maze of political/metaphysical labyrinth.

One thing I can say for Mrs. Hamilton more than for any other author I’ve read is, she can sure take you a bit beyond your comfort level. Although I’m no longer surprised by that and it doesn’t deter me from finishing the book. 

At the beginning of the series, it was all the gore and gruesome killings with some incredibly awful creatures. Then it went into sex and we’re still in that territory but this time around, there are some man on man situations that might not be for everyone (and a bit girl with girl). Not much really and in my opinion not badly done. The one thing that surprised me though (and quite a lot as I still cannot really understand it but then again I could never understand Anita’s mind) is the fact that she doesn’t get jealous at one point in the book where I got the feeling it would be required. Although it’s best for everyone that she doesn’t.

I steered away from the Mother of all Darkness but there’s not much else to be sadi. After realizing the mess they are in, the rest of the book is about what needs to be done to deal with it. And at the end of it, almost everything is in place for the next book to take us to war.

Laurell K. Hamilton: Flirt

World of Books October 8, 2010 Leave a comment

I’ve been a bit disappointed when I first got that book but that was because it’s not the standard Anita Blake size. It’s a novella so I got to enjoy the excitement of Anita Blake’s life for only a third of the usual story. Oh well, at least I got some.

I’m going to give some spoilers so you know not to read on if you don’t want them. 🙂

I was a bit surprised to see that Anita got a bit more relaxed  in her dealings with men, so much so that she flirted a bit with a waiter until the bad stuff started happening.

This time there is no Mother of all Darkness (she got killed in the previous book, but I mean, who ever believed that was the end of it?) but Anita’s everyday work (raising zombies) is what gets her in trouble. Anyway, she is kidnapped and forced to cooperate unless she wants her lovers killed and I’m not going into details how it was all set up but it works. The group that kidnapped her took into account everything except the fact that she carries weretiger strain of  lycanthropy as well. That’s all I’m going to say on the subject.

The good thing about this book is that there’s not too much sex and Anita’s musings on how she’s a bad little Christian and battling with her own conscience. What needs to be done that everyone is safe, needs to be done, even though the consequences are a bit grey (to say the least).

Enveloped in lovely flowers

World of Perfume October 1, 2010 Comments: 11

You know how I said the other day I was smelling perfumes that I didn’t feel I had the right words to describe? Well, I still don’t, but I don’t think I’ll be coming up with them any time soon and I do want to share with you this new-found classic that was born in the 21st century.

The two creations by Annie Buzantian for Puredistance are recent but they smell elegantly classic and as if they weren’t produced in these times.
As with Puredistance I, Antonia comes without any notes listed. Oh, I adore a good mistery. I just wish later someone would tell me how correct was I in my assumptions.
So let me tell you what captivated me with Antonia. Because that is what happened, even though when I first tried it, I still thought it couldn’t possibly beat Puredistance I for my affections.
It starts green, powdery and slightly earthy, there is a bitter quality to that greeness but at the same time, it evokes softness and warmth. A friend told me it smelled fresh to her which made me consider my own idea of fresh. My nose seems to have evolved in time when  fresh in my mind is linked with aquatic, ozonic, fabric softener ideas of fresh. This is not it. I realized later that this is what fresh must have smelled like in historical romance. Classic, soft, green and flowery.
After the initial slightly bitter feel to greeness (and brief flirting with soapiness), it just gets better and better. I cannot stop myself smelling it, I feel like someone perfumed my favourite cashmere sweater with lush flowers so that at the same time I feel warm and enveloped in a cloud of white, velvety flowers. It is like your favourite elegantly stylish aunt hugging you and the warmth and perfume that envelops you with all the love that is in that hug. Elegance and style are forever and smelling like that can never be wrong.
Today I’m finally wearing it not just testing it on my wrist. What can I say? It feels like it’s blooming on my skin. For something so soft and feminine, it has some serious tenacity and wonderful wafting capability. And I absolutely love the fact that 7 hours after applying it, I can still smell it around me.
It is never too sweet, something is hiding in there making it just perfectly poised with florals dancing around a base hiding a note that won’t let them drown in their own lushness and sweetness. It also makes me wonder if there is some kind of a juicy fruit note hidden in those flowers?
I want to thank Ninja of  Puredistance for sending me a sample of their new perfume. There is also one more reason I need to thank them. They made me realize that I actually love classic perfumes (I really didn’t think that before).
Picture was received as part of Puredistance release package.

Sabrina Jeffries: Only a Duke Will Do

World of Books September 30, 2010 Leave a comment

Sabrina Jeffries is along with S. Laurens, my favourite historical romance writer. I can always count on her books to make my day (in this genre, there are other writers who can do that as well).  I have to admit though that in this case I waited for quite a while to start reading this book, because the main characters have some history from another of Mrs. Jeffries novels and considering that, I had a problem seeing how that can be successfully resolved.

I was still a bit sceptical when I started reading it and realized that the Duke of Foxmoor was going to court Lousia under false pretenses. Ok, yes, as most of those types of characters, he tries to tell himself that it’s all not for love but passion and all for the good. I was shaking my head at the beginning when Simon agrees with the king to marry Lousia (king’s I think illegitimate daughter) in order for the king to make him a prime minister, of course, with Louisa never knowing of that agreement.

Well, I’m sure you can guess how that part went. 😉 Anyway, it turns out, I can understand why Simon acts the way he does, but my hat goes down to Louisa and her character. I know I am sometimes too proud for my own good so when she does some things in the name of love (and she reacts correctly in the situation), I kept thinking, ok, I would probably lose the love of my life (in that particular case) due to my own pride.

I know people treat romance novels like  something that is not good literature but it’s also a genre in which a writer can express his or her talent, and I’ve been proven once again that Sabrina Jeffries obviously has it. Her characters are always believable and their discussions lively, funny and you never know who is going to win which round.

Of course, I don’t think I’d love her novels so much if all the female characters weren’t such strong women.

Visiting ancient Egypt III

World of Perfume September 27, 2010 Leave a comment

And with this, I’ll conclude this mini series. The last scent I’ll talk about is Megaleion.

Top notes: Cardamom co2 Absolute, Cassia, Cinnamon Bark, Fragrant Wine (accord), Lemongrass
Middle notes: Australian Sandalwood, Balm of Gilead (accord), Spikenard, Turkish Rose Otto
Base notes: Copaiba Balsam, Costus, Myrrh Gum, Olibanum (Frankincense), Peru Balsam, Pine Resin, Sweet Flag

This one was the one that moved me the least. Not to say I don’t like it, I do, but it feels more restrained in its olfactory approach. It smells like something Egyptian priests might have worn, and it feels more masculine than the rest. It could be I’m associating it with priests due to the frankincense in the opening. And when mixed with cardamom, I just get the priest in Egypt association springing up in my mind. 🙂

Anyway, the opening is incensey-green, mixed with cinnamon and cardamom but cinnamon in significantly smaller presence than in Keni. It’s warm, resinic and the fragrant wine accord is again in my mind connected with the cardamon and the warm wine you drink in winter. And that’s about the most sweetness you can expect from it, if you associate fragrant wine with sweetness. This is much drier than the other two, like smoky wood, burnt in a temple perhaps.

I’m aware Dawn wrote that this is “Perhaps the world’s first “designer fragrance”… – but I can’t help think of temples and priests when smelling it. But not Christian variant of incense burned in a church (which is a smell to make me nauseous instantly), more the spicy, dry version that I come to associate with dry climates, sun and temples – Egypt is a good picture. 🙂

Visiting ancient Egypt II

World of Perfume September 26, 2010 Comments: 4

It seems I really don’t know much about ancient history since if someone asked me what spices Egyptians used, I’d have no idea.  I would probably guess at some, but I don’t think cinnamon would be on that list.
And then, here comes Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and her Secrets of Egypt and through my nose, I learn some of the things my school books never managed to teach me.

Today  I’ll talk about Keni – the cinnamon fest. 🙂

Top notes: Bitter Almond, Cardamom co2 Absolute, Cassia, Cinnamon Bark
Middle notes: Australian Sandalwood, Benzoin, Fragrant Wine (accord)
Base notes: Atlas Cedarwood, Myrrh Gum, Pine Resin

Ok, as you can see from the notes, it’s not all a cinnamon fest but the opening is, and it lasts for a while so I can call it that.  It’s the most real cinnamon I ever smelled. As with all spices (which I recognize by their particular nose pinching effect, you know, similar to black pepper), this cinnamon is at the same time nose pinching, juicy and bark-like. If you ever tried a cinnamon chewing gum, it smells like that. Wonderful (as I adore cinnamon gums).

As cinnamon starts to subside, there is a light gummy quality to it and then cardamom appears. If you take a look at the notes of the different Secrets of Egypt scents, you will notice many notes being the same in many of them. And then, in the end, they all smell spicy but different.

After cardamon, I start getting some whiffs of sandalwood and after that, it gets tricky. Sandalwood for me gets more dry and resiny and in the end morphs into sweet cedar and then just cedar? I’m not really sure except it’s dry and comforting (but then again, all spicy scents are comforting to me,  and I wonder, does that mean something?).

Pic by: http://www.ground-cinnamon.com/
Notes by: http://www.dshperfumes.com/

Kresley Cole: Demon from the Dark

World of Books September 25, 2010 Comments: 3

I feel I have nothing new to say about Kresley Cole and her Immortals after Dark series. Everything has already been said by both me and other book bloggers.
But reading her books is just so much fun! 🙂 Although this time the male character sounded more like he came out from a Sherrilyn Kenyon’s book due to all the suffering he went through.

Anyway, this time around we meet some new factions in the world of immortals and this time, those are human.
One of the things I like about Kresley Cole is that I can never guess what’s going to happen next. Or at all. Ok, yes, I know in the end the couple is going to work out through their problems and end up together, but the road there – have no idea what’s it going to look like. And that makes me seriously happy.

I liked the characters, Carrow and Malkom both have some childhood problems to deal with (Malkom’s are a bit more tragic though). The sex scenes are steamy hot as usual, love between the characters is as strong as can be and the end hints at the war in the lore happening quite soon. I can’t wait to read the next installment, esepcially since I don’t know whose story is it going to be.

And on the end note, can I just say I am very thankful to Kresley and her publishing house for continuing to publish her work as paperbacks because those books are so great I keep wondering when they are going to want more money for them.

Visiting ancient Egypt I

World of Perfume September 24, 2010 Comments: 10

I’ve been interested in the Secrets of Egypt collection of scents from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz since it came out and then I finally ordered 3 samples of scents that were made for the exhibition in Denver Art Museum.

I don’t know how many of you know, I am a huge fan of Dawn’s work and unfortunately for me, I seriously like pretty much anything I smell that she created. 🙂

So, it came as a surprise realization yesterday (I’ve been having those lately) that the reason I kept postponing writing about several perfumes I tried recently is because I don’t feel I can give them a review they deserve. I mean, whatever comes into my mind as something I want to say about them doesn’t feel as good as they smell to me.
But I decided that’s a stupid reason for not writing about them, so here it goes.

The one I will talk about today is Antiu – I won’t go into details about the name, you can read more about it on Dawn’s site.

Top notes: Bitter Almond, Cardamom co2 Absolute, Fragrant Wine (accord), Galbanum, Lemongrass
Middle notes: Australian Sandalwood, Gallica Rose Otto, Honey Beeswax
Base notes: Copaiba Balsam, Mastic, Myrrh Gum, Peru Balsam, Pine Resin, Sweet Flag

For me, this starts as a spicy burst (that reminded me strongly of cinnamon which is featured prominently in the other 2 samples) that smelled at the same time green like peas and almondy. And that’s before I read the notes (I just love it when I can smell something on my own). 🙂
It has  a slightly citrusy tang and in the beginning smells to me like cinnamony grass. You know, spicily green. And absolutely wonderful (those are two smells I adore in anything). I still can’t believe there is no cinnamon in this but then again, we put here in our warm wine cinammon and clove so it’s no wonder that the fragrant wine accord will remind me of it. One variant of such wine is glög (that’s what the Swedish do) and it’s a bit more spicy and has a thicker consistency (I’m not sure from what) but cardamom is put into it.

I’ve heard people say that they don’t like cardamom but I can’t help but associate it with warmth and fragrant wine so when it makes a bolder appearance in Antiu, I really enjoy it.

Even though I mentioned winter customs, for me, this smells like a perfect scent for spring. It has some kind of sunny, breezy, grassy freshness and then gets a sweet aspect around the cardamom but in a light, resiny way.  Well, if you take a look at the base notes, you can come to that conclusion as well. 🙂

Soon, I will talk about the other samples and one that is absolute cinnamon heaven for which a friend told me she doesn’t consider that as something one might wear as perfume. Oh well, more for me.

If you take a look at Dawn’s site, I’m warning you straight away, don’t check the Mummy bottles because they are just way too wonderful not to be wanted for oneself. Which is a terrible torture as one costs 275 $.

Btw, it seems I decided to write about these perfumes at the same time as Krista over at Scent of the Day, so you can head over there and see what she wrote about Antiu.

Pic by: http://www.stanford.edu/

Lily of the valley in the forest

World of Perfume September 20, 2010 Comments: 6

There is a reason why my fragrant wardrobe does not include many florals and why I neither wear them not own them. Every once in a while I will come across a specimen that surprises me and works great with my skin but more often than not, that is not the case.

So you can imagine my chagrin when I finally got my hands on Carillon pour un Ange by Andy Tauer and after a great opening, it went down the path of so many florals and turned very shrill and sinus pinching on me. 😦

I was so very sad to smell that happening. Especially since the first burst of Carillon on my skin transported me straight to a forest after the rain where the lily of the valley grows in dark, wet earth. It is such a true rendition of that place that I couldn’t believe my nose. And I know what that smells like since I used to gather them with my mother (who adores lily of the valley flowers).

And there I was, walking in the woods among lily of the valley when the floral shrilliness hit me. I’ve read enough floral reviews so far to notice this thing does not happen to most people. I am one of the unfortunate ones. I am still not sure though if it’s florals or white musk that makes it happen (or they both work like that)but whatever it is, it hurts my nose.
Luckily, in Carillon it doesn’t last, so after  it’s gone, I’m left with the lily of the valley resting on my desk after I picked it off the wet forest floor. The scent is here but there is no more of that dark wetness of the forest where it grew.

Notes: rose, ylang-ylang, lilac, lily of the valley, jasmine, leather, ambergris, moss, woods

I saw reviewers mentioning hints of leather, I have to admit to not being able to smell it. But I do like the drydown, it’s very soft and makes me think I’m smelling some other perfum  the way it gets tamed. Because you know, Andy Tauer creations practically jump out on you from the bottle, and sparingly applying them is the way to go. They are not for the faint of heart, otherwise they may strangle you. 😉

Pic by: BACKYard Woods Explorer on Flickr

P.S. Yes, I did manage to post this originally without a title. 🙂

JD Robb: Fantasy in Death

World of Books September 18, 2010 Leave a comment
There’s not much left to be said about this series. I mean, this is book 30 (or over) in the series. I guess you can tell what I think of the series when I tell you I buy them regularly and have all of them. 🙂 Yes, I do spend way too much money on books. 😉

I don’t know if that happened to anyone else reading this book, although if you follow the series, I guess it was pretty obvious how the victims were killed in holo-rooms without any sign of breaking and entering. What I couldn’t guess in the beginning, but when Lt. Dallas pointed in that direction, I could see her reasoning but still couldn’t understand how is it possible people are so awful to each other? And this book came right after Danielle Steel’s concerning a sociopath (which is what the killer in this book is as well).

That’s actually some scary stuff when you think about it. Sociopaths are so great at adapting socially that you never know what goes inside until they break your spirit or kill you (depending on how sociopathic your person is). Of course, the In Death series have the killer kind since Eve works in homicide so she gets to discover who did it.

Anyway, all the characters we love are back and the relationships in Eve’s life just keep getting stronger. It’s been happening for a while and sort of behind her back so that one day she wakes up and realizes she has friends and she actually needs to nurture those friendships. She perhaps is not always sure how it’s done but her heart is in the right place and in the end it always works out as it should. I mean, her friends know her so they have a good idea how she will react in a given situation. That is just one of the things I got reminded of reading this book.