The Taker by Alma Katsu

From Goodreads:
True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. . . . On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.

Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption.


This book was recommended to me by my sister, and it has been on my to read shelf for about a year.  I kept promising that I would read it when I had more time.  I was able to pass my national exam, and now that I'm not studying 298347892834 hours a week, I have more reading time!! SO, I checked this out on GR. This storyline initially intrigued me.  What kind of immortal bond is this Lanny girl dealing with? What is this about a crazy ER doctor? I read a lot of paranormal, so I was interested to see what supernatural creature Lanny would turn out to be.


Turns out, this book really is a cross between genres. This is the type of "paranormal" book for a person who likes normal fiction (no chick  lit, urban fantasy, etc), because it's kind of diet paranormal...paranormal for beginners.  This book is a cross between historical romance (real life romance, not the fluffy, corny stuff) and mystical arts.  It was refreshing to have a different type of book that I wouldn't normally read. And not to mention, the author has written this book excellently.  It's not often you come across an author who has a writing style like this.  It just pulls you in..... 

  I stayed up late both nights to finish it.  The one thing that I did not like about this book was the sad, depressing tone it took about halfway through the book.   When I turned to the last page, the book left me feeling really unhappy, just because it turned out not to be a happy book, and IMO, did not have a happy ending.  

So, if you want a book that is flawlessly written with a very intriguing historical aspect to it, then please read this book, and let me know what you think. 

Time Travel Tuesday

So, for the last two weeks on Tuesday nights, I've been completely exhausted and need a light read to help me relax. In comes the light, fun romantic reads! For some reason I've been stuck on the idea of time traveling romances. 


Vanquishing A Viking by Nancy Dillman 

Modern attitudes clash with medieval mores when Esme Pederson, a small-town librarian from Minnesota, time travels to Viking Norway and is sold as a bed slave to a fierce warrior bitter over his dead wife's infidelity. The last thing Stein Magnuson needs is another woman to complicate his life, especially one who thinks females have rights! Irresistibly drawn to each other, however, their passion flares hotter than an Icelandic volcano. But can love bloom when neither is willing to compromise and all they ever do is argue?

I was skeptical that this book would be any good at all, because you never know what kind of romance book you'll get, especially when you add in the element of time travel. But, I was glad I purchased this book. I felt the author portrayed the realities of living in that era accurately. I enjoyed the read and the romance. I thought she portrayed interactions between characters well, so you felt they were almost real.  The only thing I wasn't too crazy about was the sex scenes. I'm not into the things the main character was (the arrogant male attitude). But I did enjoy the book.






The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl by Gina Lamm

The Goodreads summary is a little long, so I figured I'd make my own.  A modern day girl, Jamie Marten, gets teleported into the year 1816 into the home of Micah Axelby, Earl of Dunnington.  Micah is a stunningly handsome earl, and Jamie tries to fight her feelings for him. From the very start, Jamie tries to figure out a way to get back, but ends up entangled with the Earl in more ways than one.  Can Jamie make it back to her current year? Does she even want to anymore? 


I saw this book reviewed on another book site I follow,
called Book Chick City.  It seemed like a pretty decent book so I decided to give it a try.  At 5.99 for the kindle price, it was a little steep.  I try not to pay more than a few dollars (hey, I'm poor!) but I decided to give it a try. 

I'm glad I did buy it.  There were things I liked and others I didn't.  I liked how accurately the author depicted what it was like in 1816: bathing, using a chamber pot, servants, what clothes women wore, the few (if any) rights women had back then.  The things I didn't like were miniscule, but I felt there wasn't really much of a plot except the back and forth love war between Micah and Jamie.  He loves her, he doesn't.  She loves him, now she doesn't.  Also, I felt that for Jamie being a smart girl, she was kind of thick.  For example, she kept rubbing in the fact that she was from a different era by swearing often.  A smart girl would realize this may not be the best way to go about things.  But regardless I liked this book and I would recommend it. 



Happy St. Patrick's Day Weekend everyone!!! :)