Here are a few random books from my ever-increasing To Be Read pile.
First up is The Bronze Horseman (2001) by Paullina Simons. I have no idea why I’ve never read this book. I’d actually forgotten I had it until my recent spring clean of my heaving bookshelves.
Blurb: The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler’s armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.
Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana—and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander’s impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects—a secret as devastating as the war itself—as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.
Lone Rider (2001) by Lauren Bach. I bought a used copy of this out-of-print book a while ago when Sandy M reviewed it at The Good, The Bad, and The Unread.
Blurb: A deserted stretch of highway, a young woman stranded in a fancy car, and the sound of motorcycles in the black night…Tess Marsh’s cross-country trip ends all too suddenly when Dallas Haynes finds her. From his sexy bedroom eyes to his black leather jacket and dusty jeans, he spells trouble, but so does the nasty-looking biker gang that surrounds them. Within minutes, Tess is on the back of Dallas’s Harley and at the mercy of a man who breaks through all her defenses and makes her want him – good or bad, right or wrong.
Dallas’s mission doesn’t need another complication, yet from the moment he sees her, he wants her with a rough, hungry passion that can hurt them both. Claiming her and abducting her is the only way to protect her from the gang. Then all hell breaks loose, and Dallas and Tess are on the run with no place to hide – except in each other’s arms.
Lock and Key (2008) by Sarah Dessen. I just finished Along for the Ride (2009) and really enjoyed it. I’m pleased to have another Sarah Dessen YA book on my TBR shelf to save for a rainy day.
Blurb: Abandoned by her mother and forced to leave the house she calls home, Ruby is facing too many changes. Her world has been transformed into a life of luxury by her long-lost sister, but all Ruby wants to do is leave – she can make it on her own. Even Nate, the gorgeous boy next door, can’t seem to change her mind. Will Ruby realize first impressions don’t always count? And that sometimes, people surprise you, so it’s OK to let the closest ones in…
Dead Connection (2007) by Alafair Burke. I bought this last year but I still haven’t gotten round to reading it.
Blurb: When two young women are murdered on the streets of New York, exactly one year apart, Detective Ellie Hatcher is called up for a special assignment on the homicide task force. The killer has left behind a clue connecting the two cases to First Date, a popular online dating service, and Flann McIlroy, an eccentric, publicity-seeking homicide detective, is convinced that only Ellie can help him pursue his terrifying theory: someone is using the lure of the Internet and the promise of love to launch a killing spree against the women of New York City.
To catch the killer, Ellie must enter a high-tech world of stolen identities where no one is who they appear to be. And for her, the investigation quickly becomes personal: she fits the profile of the victims, and she knows firsthand what pursuing a sociopath can do to a cop — back home in Wichita, Kansas, her father lost his life trying to catch a notorious serial murderer.
When the First Date killer begins to mimic the monster who destroyed her father, Ellie knows the game has become personal for him, too. Both hunter and prey, she must find the killer before he claims his next victim — who could very well be her.
Have you read any of these books? If so, did you like them?
{ 11 comments }
I have not, but I’ve been curious about The Bronze Horseman for awhile. I know Katiebabs has it on her list of all-time favorite books. I should read it as well.
And I’ve heard very good things about Sarah Dessen. One day, perhaps.
@Stacy ~: If you like Simone Elkeles, I think you’ll also like Sarah Dessen. Not all of her books are as tightly focused on the romance aspect as Elkeles, but there’s usually a nice romantic subplot at the very least. My favourites include The Truth About Forever, This Lullaby, Just Listen, and Along for the Ride. It occurs to me that this list represents about half of her backlist! Basically, I don’t think Sarah Dessen can write a bad book, but there are some I’ve enjoyed more than others.
I’ve read Lone Rider, although it was years ago. I do remember liking it and looking around for more from the author (at the time, I couldn’t find much at all – 1 other book, I think)
The Bronze Horseman is my all time favorite romance. The only book where I read straight for 8 hours and couldn’t read anything for weeks afterward. MUST READ! Go now and read. shoo shoo…
How did you pick out the random books from your TBR?
@Lori: I started Lone Rider last night. So far, so good!
@katiebabs: Isn’t The Bronze Horseman the first book in a trilogy? What are the other two like?
@heidenkind: Good question! Both The Bronze Horseman and Lone Rider were mentioned in recent threads on the All About Romance message boards, so I had them on my mind. I literally picked the other two books randomly from my TBR pile. I’m planning my reading for Keishon’s TBR Challenge and I wanted to read next month’s book ahead of time so that I don’t end up picking up a short read at the last minute.
Well, I enjoyed The Bronze Horseman (loved it, one of the most memorable love stories) but you better have the next book ready because it ends on a cliffhanger (Tatiana and Alexander is 2nd book, The Summer Garden is 3rd and rounds out the trilogy)….and I do enjoy Alafair Burke’s Ellie Hatcher series (only read Angel’s Tip). I bought her latest in that series, 212.
@Keishon: Thanks for the tip re: the sequel(s) to The Bronze Horseman. I’m thinking it might make a nice holiday read as it’s pretty long.
The sequel, Tatiana and Alexander is just as heartbreaking. The way it ended was pure magic. I refuse to read the third book because I feel Simons didn’t have to write one and what I heard happens in the book would anger me. Read the first two and keeps some tissues handy.
I really hope that you do get to read The Bronze Horseman because it is an amazing book! Make sure that you do have the second book at hand too. I have read the third book, and I liked it, but Tatiana and Alexander do go through the ringer a bit. Oh, and I have the cookbook too, which has great little stories in it which just add a little bit extra to the whole story.
@katiebabs: @Marg: OK…must get Tatiana and Alexander before starting The Bronze Horseman. Thanks for the tip!