CTV Books

Yay! A great steamy romance that builds and two well matched smart and sexy leads make Beast of Desire sooo much better than Jones' first Knights of White book.

Des was one of the amazing supporting characters in the last book who gave me hope for this series and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Des still walks the edge here being one of the Knights whose beast is close to having full control, since he keeps his human part protected and hidden away due to scars in his past. Even though Des and Jennifer aren't soulmates from a previous life like Karen and Jag from The Beast Within (Silhouette Nocturne Series), there still is a familiarity and a sixth sense of 'knowing' each other innately that makes the quick attachment that flames between Des and Jennifer seem natural and believable.

Overall Jones does better with her bad guys here too. This time we aren't bludgeoned by their evil, though the human minion Greg, who is Jennifer's nemesis and aspires to beastdom, gets a bit repetious and tiresome after a while. Other than that my only minor nit was with the scene where Jag give Jennifer a complete flashback on Des' history and Beast battles, it pulled me out of the action a bit and I think that Jones should have trusted her heroine a bit more and not gone for the quick save. Jennifer's instincts were all telling her the truth about Des anyway.

Aside from Jennifer and Des' relationship, I really like the way that Jones starts to develop Wes her next at bat hero, she did such a good job showing him bent under the weight of the past as hopelessness slowly overwhelms him that I can't wait for the next book Beast Of Darkness (Silhouette Nocturne)to watch this weary warrior get his own redemption.

Having read Lisa Renee Jones' "The Beast Within" (the first in the Knights of White series), I was looking forward to reading the next book. I was NOT disappointed! "Beast of Desire" was fast, intriguing and of course, tells more of the story from the Knights of White point of view. Des has been walking the fine line between going bad for so long and doesn't think he's worthy of the woman who will bring him the beast within him and his humanity together. Boy was he wrong as Jessica IS his perfect mate. I would definitely recommend this book. Can't wait for the next book in the series to come out!

A Knight of the White, Des is a bit surprised with his current assignment. He searches for an ancient tome The Journal of Solomon that contains a map that will lead to a treasure chest filled with the names of those whose ancient lineage were angels; normally Des is a warrior in direct fight against the evil of the Darkland Beasts in their millennia old civil war for species control. Knowing he will need help to locate the sacred journal Des turns to the Dallas World Museum curator Jessica Montgomery for help in finding the treasure before the enemy obtains it.

Her mother ignored her and her family in a futile lifetime quest to find the ancient journal. She wants to tell him to forget it as it is not worth the time, but Jessica is attracted to the enigmatic Des so decides to assist him on his quest to learn why he is interested in this tome and how he knew she was the right staff person to enlist. As they fall in love, he knows he is just a beast with a soul that could turn dark at any moment and thus unworthy of the angelic daughter of a senator.

The latest Knights of White tale (see THE BEAST WITHIN) is a terrific romantic fantasy starring two courageous heroes falling in love while on a dangerous quest with their enemies in hot pursuit as both studies understand what The Journal of Solomon means. The story line is fast-paced and filled with non-stop action as the danger mounts so does the attraction. Readers will appreciate Lisa Renee Jones' latest thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Museum curator Jessica Montgomery carries on her late mother's almost desperate interest in an ancient journal, not fully understanding her mother's dogged determination in searching for it. When Des from the Knights of White appoints himself Jessica's protector, she is even more confused, not understanding the darkness that threatens her. The Darkland Beasts want this journal to carry out their own evil intentions, and will stop at nothing to get it, just as the Des and the other knights are willing to die trying to keep Jessica and the journal safe. It turns out that the connection between Des and Jessica and the journal runs much deeper than either of them could have imagined.
Des, like all of the Knights of White, has just enough beast in him to make him fear losing control. There is an immediate attraction between Des and Jessica, but his reluctance to completely let go when he's with her is troubling. When all of the pieces fall into place and it begins to look like Jessica is his intended mate, Des has some monumental decisions to make. The biggest of which is whether he can get past the notion that he doesn't deserve someone like Jessica.
I have enjoyed the first two books in this series very much and I feel confident in recommending them. While they are satisfying reads by themselves, I can't help but feel that they will be enjoyed much more if read in order, starting with THE BEAST WITHIN.

Jessica Montgomery, as a curator for a big museum, is nervous. The museum she works for has discovered a highly sensitive historical document; the same document her mother spent years of her life trying to find. This document contains information that the Darkland Beasts want and information which the Knights of White must protect at any cost. Though Jessica doesn't know what is in the journal, she is very familiar with the information and facts her mother told her. Regardless, Jessica isn't sure that she believes in ancient Knights and dark beasts intent upon killing humans throughout the world.

Des has been sent by his leader, Jag, to find the Journal of Solomon. It seems the journal contains information that could affect future generations of humans. Since the Knights of White has sworn to protect the human race at any cost, it is imperative that Des find and steal that journal before the Darkland Beasts. His plan? Find and earn the trust of one Jessica Montgomery, the daughter of the woman who spent years trying to find the box mentioned in the journal. It will be an uphill battle between good and evil because the Darkland Beasts have help this time in the form of Jessica's nemesis.

Jessica and Des are attracted to each other immediately at first sight. Des readily believes that he is not worthy of a woman such as Jessica. Though he fights his attraction and desire for her, he knows it is only a matter of time before his inner beast succumbs to the woman that it craves. Unwilling to hurt her, yet unable to leave her alone, Des succumbs and quickly finds that he can't get enough of Jessica. Only when Des is fully able to commit and believe that she is the woman destined to soothe his inner beast will they be truly together.

BEAST OF DESIRE is right! I immediately desired Des upon opening this book. His ability to see situations from all sides while doing his best to be honorable touched me tremendously. Even though he couldn't see it, I could tell what a pure and noble soul he was and his attraction and desire for Jessica showed through on each page. Jessica is a very strong character and to be the mate of Des, she has to be. She is loyal, has fortitude, and is strong enough to stand up to even the foulest of men. They make the perfect pair.

My name is Natasha Smith and I am addicted to this series! With BEAST OF DESIRE, Lisa Renee Jones grabs you, holds you, and with artfully written words and sensuous love scenes hot enough to melt even the most frozen of hearts, she weaves a timeless love story between two truly deserving characters. Then, on top of that, she leaves you hanging with just enough suspense that as a reader I am simply dying to read the third installment, BEAST OF DARKNESS. BEAST OF DESIRE is definitely a five blue ribbon read! ***Natasha Smith for Romance Junkies***

With The First Waco Horror, Patricia Bernstein delivers a fascinating and mortifying slice of Texas - and American - history with a meticulously researched look at the 1916 lynching, in Waco, Texas, of Jesse Washington, a retarded seventeen-year-old black boy. While lynchings were not uncommon at the time, this one was particularly galling - as many as 15,000 people, including the mayor and chief of police - stood by and watched as Washington was beaten, burnt and hung in Waco's town square. Due to the efforts of the fledgling NAACP and, in particular, a brave woman by the name of Elisabeth Freeman, the details of the lynching made headlines around the world, tarnished the image of Waco as an enlightened, cosmopolitan city (which, as Bernstein shows, was somewhat illusory from the start), and helped generate increasing support for anti-lynching sentiment and legislation. The First Waco Horror is an engaging, well-written book filled with complex characters that run the gamut from inspirational to repellent, as well as personal recollections and anecdotes that inject an extra element of emotional resonance. Like a modern Elisabeth Freeman, Bernstein excavates the details of a truly horrifying incident in our recent past and demonstrates that a small group of principled, dedicated people can stand up to the ignorance and passivity of mob mentality to foster change and evolution.

Made to Stick is a great book designed to help you made your ideas more memorable. It is not designed to give you the power to come up with new ideas, but to make the most of what's available to you. The authors use a wide variety of examples of "sticky" and non "sticky" concepts to show you what works and what does not.

The epitome of their framework is the "Jared" marketing campaign that Subway used several years ago. This campaigned contained all of their features for a "sticky" idea: Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotion, and a Story. As you can see, they even tried to make their framework sticky by having it spell out SUCCES.

The book itself stays true to its word, in that the examples and framework they provide are sufficiently memorable that I feel the knowledge I have gained from reading this will "stick" with me for many years to come.

Highly recommended.

Chip and Dan Heath have written a priceless book, full of wisdom and great stories about what makes for effective teaching and leadership. It's not the razzle-dazzle of our teaching that makes a difference, they say, but whether we incorporate six key characteristics. I've been in the education business for almost 40 years and I learned a LOT from this book. Highly recommended!

The Heath brothers have created one of the best and most memorable contributions to true marketing creativity. They utilize off-the-beaten path stories and analogies to bring their concepts to life and help the reader visualize the benefits of sticky marketing. While some reviewers have said the book was hard to get through, I'd urge you to stick with the book to the end -- and start making a habit of reading the Heath brothers' column in Biz Week

The cover made this book seem like it would be dynamic, fun and engaging to read. I did not find that to be the case, so I never made it clear through the book. The content was interesting once I got through it. I think the reason I had a hard time with the reading was that the authors didn't move through the content in a concise way. Topics felt a bit drawn out. Still, the fundamental ideas here are valuable and worth knowing.

Enjoyed this book and will be keeping it in my collection for future reference. Emphasis on crisp messages and refinement of language to get down to the most effective and essential message.
More people should take this advice to constantly improve and refine their message until it is tight and sharp.

knowing only of George Weigel as the biographer of Pope John Paul II, and from having once heard him speak, I felt no real need to read this book, which was, I thought, only tangential to my interests, at best. I'm bored by the endless campaigning in an election year, and find most politics either an endless debate or a snooze. I had Weigel pegged firmly in the other camp, among those excited by which states are blue or red, and who see the world as endlessly divisable into left and right, who are able to overlook the clownish persona presented by the presidential hopefuls, more than ever in the 2008 election year, and can act as if there is something else at stake.

After all, wasn't this book listed as a "Foreign Affairs bestseller"? Is that a way of limiting the subject category to such a small circle of books so as to end up on top? "Foreign Affairs" is not a category I would skim through looking for a bit of light reading. Nevertheless, having once cracked the cover, I was instantly hooked. This is the sort of urbane, yet clear writing I thought had perished from the earth. This brings back the days of reading George Steiner, deRougemont, Marshall McLuhan (I didn't say I understood all of it), Norbert Wiener, Gregory Bateson, what I would call the elegant essay. I had no idea how rare it was until I tried to find it among writers of popular science, and in this area gently flowing writing that is a delight to read is exceedingly rare, regardless of how many science essay books are supposedly best sellers.

Reading out of category, as it were, out of interest area, and out of subject matter, in short, foraging entirely outside of my standard reading practices, was even riskier. Yet here I find a thinker and writer, an analyst, one might say, who can roam freely in things French and European without ever making the reader feel entirely at sea, can lay out abtruse ideas on the table, as it were, for all to see, can undercut the verbosity and hoopla so much the stock in trade of political commentators, and simply get to the res, the thing itself.

I suppose one expects a reviewer to delve into the subject matter of the book, and even perhaps offer reasoned opinions about it. What, and deprive the reader of dipping into this book on their own, exactly the sort of book that makes you wish the train ride were a bit longer and everything else a bit shorter, so you could get back to your book? Nevertheless, I don't plan reading far afield in future, but should I venture to do so, I will take along Weigel as a trusted and welcome guide.

Quite readable and interesting. Took the Cube in Paris and the Cathedral of Notre Dame - also in Paris - as symbols of man without God and man with God. Attempted to show - reasonably successfully in my opinion - the deficiencies of a political system that tries to operate as if God did not exist. The author, George Weigel - always worth reading - is writing from a Christian point of view, which I share. A good read, especially for those who, while believing in the separation of Church and State, would like to see Christian insights having more influence in the public square.

After going 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA and 268 strikeouts at age 20, Dwight Gooden never came close to matching that phenomenal season. After having history's best selling live album at age 25, can anyone remember a single song from Peter Frampton which is NOT from 1975's "Frampton Comes Alive"? After birthing "Citizen Kane" at age 25, Orson Welles is best remembered by some for "serving no wine before its time" (After having "The Sixth Sense" at age 29, some say that films such as "Signs" and "The Lady in the Water" point to a similar pattern of youthful masterpiece followed by mediocrity in M. Night Shyamalan's work.).

After writing "Witness to Hope" at age 48, is George Weigel subject to the anti-climactic pattern of Gooden, Frampton, and Welles? As JP II's biography is one of my all time favorite books, I would be especially vulnerable to viewing anything else by Weigel with particularly critical eyes. Yet, "The Cube and the Cathedral" does NOT disappoint!

Weigel reminds us that "the deepest currents of history are spiritual and cultural, rather than political and economic" (p. 30). He vividly describes a prevalent prejudice, which "stresses the Enlightenment roots of the democratic project to the virtual exclusion of democracy's historic cultural roots in the Christian soil of pre-Enlightenment Europe" (p. 76).

While Weigel strikes me as insufficiently critical of current American foreign policy, he does not soft peddle Christendom's sins: "That the Church did not always behave according to these convictions is obvious from history, especially European history" (p. 112). At the dawn of the new millennium, he reminds us how Pope John Paul II and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger led the Church in recommitting "to live out the truth it professed about the freedom of the human person to seek the truth and adhere to it" (pp. 113, 114).

It could be argued that Weigel pays insufficient attention to Europe's non-Christian roots. Yet, it should be remembered that he is primarily aiming to counter efforts to erase Christianity's contributions from contemporary European consciousness. "It takes a deliberate act of willfulness - an act of Christophobia, to borrow from Joseph Weiler - to dismiss the notion that this rich civilizational soil contains the nutrients that nourished the democratic possibility in Europe and throughout the Western world" (p. 105).

Since La Grande Arche de La Defense and the Cathedral of Notre Dame are such important symbols in this book, the jacket would benefit from much clearer (and larger!) photographic images. Appendices providing additional background on these symbols would also be helpful.

Very interesting subject and hoped he would speak more on the current situation rather then spending the majority of time proving his position from an historical perspective. Seem to rely heavily on a few particular authors and felt at times I should just read their books rather than this one.

At its best, this book poses a question using "the cube" (L'Arche de la Defense) and "the cathedral" (Notre Dame) as representatives for two cultures:

"Which culture, I wondered, would better protect human rights? Which culture would more firmly secure the moral foundations of democracy? The culture that built this stunning, rational, angular, geometrically precise but essentially featureless cube? Or the culture that produced the vaulting and bosses, the gargoyles and flying buttresses, the nooks and crannies, the asymmetries and holy 'unsameness' of Notre-Dame?" (2)

He is not suggesting "a return to something like the Middle Ages... That is impossible and would be undesirable if it were possible. The answer may lie, however, in a different way of reading the modern project" (167), and for that he looks to John Paul II. "John Paul II did not propose a return to the premodern world. Rather, he offered a thoroughly modern alternative reading of modernity" (169). Europe is dying, says our author, because people have no hope. The dominant reading of modernity cannot offer hope, even a reason to reproduce, while John Paul II's alternative modernity can. It brings us a freedom to be excellent, not just a freedom to do whatever we want to do.

Weigel argues that 'atheistic humanism' and 'exclusive humanism' lead to totalitarian oppression, but 'Christian humanism' can actually give an account of why to have tolerance, pluralism, inalienable rights, etc. The reason: Christianity offers a transcendent moral reference point. From this he concludes not that we should thrust Christianity on everybody but instead that the public square cannot be worldview-neutral; instead, communication in the public square should be based on certain shared moral commitments, though we may each have different sources for those commitments.

Unfortunately, once we pass page 2's excellent analogy -- the "people of the cube" and the "people of the cathedral" -- the book isn't particularly good. It lightly sketches an argument about the problems of Europe and the promise of a Christian moral foundation for the public square and only hints at arguments as to why 'atheistic humanism' and 'exclusive humanism' cannot provide that moral foundation. None of this is sufficiently argued so you will only come out of the book agreeing with him if you came into the book really wanting to do so.

As a final positive, Weigel heavily relies on sources that are more than worth pursuing (Henri de Lubac, for instance), so "The Cube and The Cathedral" turns out to be an excellent annotated bibliography. The subjects he raises (such as whether we view freedom as freedom for excellence or freedom of indifference, Aquinas vs. Ockham) and the authors he cites (such as John Paul II) are definitely relevant and definitely worth looking into.

My personal analysis: I think he's pointing to some real problems, but I also think he's trying much too hard to salvage Neuhaus's vision of Christianity in the public square.

So: Read the first two pages, then skim through the footnotes and index,and look into the authors and ideas you find there.