Hart Books

Another great addition to Hart's xtreme art series. Following the monster, chibis and villains, comes the mini manga draw guide. Gorgeous & irresistible to draw, these little creatures come to life in four simple steps to follow. With few words to read and simple examples; from the large basic outline down to the details -these silly but adorable little creatures are developed. Suitable for the young as well as the more advanced cartoonist, this book will keep you entertained for quite a while, Enjoy.

An outstanding book that opens up the world of magical characters; the book is so engaging that you can easily loose track of time and place. Numerous chapters, organized by fantasy characters describe not only the look but the mood and background as well to complete the magic. There are literally hundreds of drawings in the book to guide us with our creation.
If you really want to learn to draw these awesome creatures, this is the book for you.

Not only does this book give good account of the lives of the Emperor and Empress, but it covers the scene in Vienna from 1848 till after 1916 with a sure touch, the author being a native of Austria and of course one who ordinarily wrote about music and musicians--which subjects are not omitted from this book, even though Franz Joseph had no interest in music. The author gives his views on the relationship between the principals and others assumed to be romantically connected with them, and his opinions seem solidly based on what can be known. The same is true in his discussion of the Mayerling tragedy. There are footnotes, though not excessive in amount, and the bibliography though now dated is ample. Illustrations add to the worth of the book and an appendix listing main events of each year from 1848 to 1916 I found helpful. Recommended.

I found to date there hasn't been a good, informative book written on the subject. This book is exceptionally well written and very user friendly.

Early Candlelight was written over a hundred years ago and is a wonderful story about Fort Snelling in St Paul Minnesota, around the time when people were still settling there. It is about a girl whose family lives outside the fort. It tells about numerous happenings, with the soldiers and their wives, the indians, and even the traders in the area. Eventually leading to a romance at the end. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Here are the Anglo-Saxon charters of Essex, as were known at the time that this book was published. It is indispensible to anyone interested in the history of Essex, England.

It is high time that the two volumes were conjoined into a second edition, supplemented by the newly discovered charters, and as many Anglo-saxon wills mentioning Essex property as possible. This material has to be considered by all local historians of the county.

Anthony W. Fox Cranham@aol.com

I love the 'eat.shop' series, and the San Francisco guide is another jewel in the crown. The beauty of this series is that it's about Food and Shopping! Repeat: FOOD AND SHOPPING!!!! :)

GREAT shopping guide, they review all the hippest shops (and not just the ones everyone already knows about...terrific small boutiques and hidden gems that only the locals know about). Basically, it's like having a really stylish girlfriend take you shopping in her home town.

The restaurants and cafes in this book are all top notch, but aren't intimidating. If you're a gourmand or just looking for a cute cafe to refuel after all the shopping, this guide will not steer you wrong.

LOVE eat.shop. LOVE San Francisco. Love eat.shop.SF.

Ed Hart's humor is razor sharp, pointed, sticky, and penetrating. It's also surprising.

I realize I have an enriched funny bone and I love to laugh, so when I thought Ed's book to be terribly funny, I assumed it was funny only to me. Still, I gave copies of the book to my sons as an "I love you" gift. Two of them received their books while visiting me and they opened their gifts at the same time. They opened the books and immmediately started laughing and then calling out page numbers, "Check out page 5. Page 13, Read Page 22! They wanted to know more about Ed.

My son in Colorado called to say he loved the book and keeps picking it up because the humor gets better with each read.

Ed doesn't sit in coffee shops listening to funny things, or to
watch folks in the act of being stupid. He just goes through
life seeing the humor in the quirky things we do and say and adds a little twist. Fortunately for those of us who love humor, his wife, Carrie, grabs whatever scrap of paper is handy and writes down his observations. This book of wit and wisdom is the result of her persistence, (and obvious love!)

If you want a gift for a person who appreciates a good laugh, send them a copy of Edisms Revealed. They'll be glad you did.
If you want to treat yourself to a bushel of laughs, buy yourself a copy. You'll be glad you did.

This is one of those classic, wonderful books that can hugely expand a child's horizons and help them learn to love reading. Everything the laudatory description says of it is true.

The Last Bite by Melani Blazer:
Elliot Simpson works as a bounty hunter for a highly secret agency. He is
committed to protecting human-kind from rogue vampires and werewolves. Creatures that most humans believe to be mythical. His focus is to hunt and kill the vampire that murdered his brother.

His fellow hunter and lover, Laura Kline, appears at the scene of his latest bounty after having disappeared six years earlier. She claims that she has been sent to kill him, and Laura tries to warn Elliot of the threat facing him.

Losing his focus to the passion Laura inspires, Elliot discounts the danger until he has no other choice but to face it head on. When Elliot's secret is revealed, will Laura be strong enough to accept the truth.

A thrilling tale, I never saw the ending coming! I mourned with Elliot over the loss of his brother and the time he lost with Laura. I was quickly immersed into the story and it ended too soon. Hot sex, romance and a great plot makes this Melani Blazer story a real page turner.

Hard Lessons by Nikki Soarde:
When Kaley Carrone discovers evidence of her husband's infidelity, she wants a divorce. Unfortunately, the pre-nuptial agreement will leave her with a tiny fraction of the wealth she worked hard to acquire during their marriage. Kaley plots to get her share of their assets and to get revenge on her cheating husband.

With the help of a former lover and his friend, she stages her kidnapping to secure a 'ransom' and freedom from her marriage. And if she can make her husband suffer in the process, all the better for her revenge.

Holed up with two sexy 'kidnappers', Dan and Mason, Kaley's plan for revenge may net her more than she could have ever expected.

Although they say revenge is a dish best served cold, I prefer Nikki Soarde's approach! Fiery hot! I loved Kaley's various methods for twisting the dagger. Very imaginative! And speaking of imaginative, the deliciously steamy sexual escapades Kaley, Mason and Dan enjoy... well let's just say my imagination was ignited!



Close Encounters of the Carnal Kind by Delilah Devlin:
Etienne, an ex-soldier, wounded and heartsick over the loss of his military comrades in the Iraq war, returns to his home in the bayou to lick his wounds. Hearing that his Uncle Jacques is telling everyone about an alien encounter, and that the aliens are seeking Etienne, he is sure his uncle is crazy. So when a beautiful woman arrives at his refuge, claiming to be an alien, he thinks she is sent as a hoax.

Mariska, a fightership commander, tries to reason with Etienne and share with him his destiny. For he is the future king and last hope for their planet. As the only surviving fertile male of the ruling class, he must return with her to a well stocked harem and propagate the ruling classes next generation.

When Etienne refuses to see her tale as anything other than fiction, she kidnaps and transports him to her ship. Can Etienne accept the destiny Mariska describes or will he determine his own fate; a fate that includes love?

I love a man with an accent and Etienne's sexy cajun drawl pushed my buttons. Add that to his wounded soldier status and I'm in love. Pure alpha, Etienne decides his own fate and there's nothing sexier than a man with that kind of confidence. Mariska's refusal to accept less than what her heart desires made me cheer! These two make a great couple. I loved this story!

Tight Places by Arianna Hart:
CEO Savannah Malone and restaurant manager Carrick MacNamara live in the same building, but have yet to meet. They have noticed and admired each other from a distance, waiting for an opportunity. That opportunity arrives when the moon is full and the night stormy as the two catch the same elevator.

Their chance meeting turns into something altogether unexpected when the storm knocks out the power, stranding them together in the tight, confining space. One thing leads to another and clothes are shed as lust ignites. But the night soon intrudes on their passion, and Carrick's secrets come to light. Will his closely guarded secret cost him his career and more importantly, will it cost him Savannah?

This story made me pant. Super, super hot! I love hot elevator sex and I love secrets. Carrick's secret is just as amazing as his and Savannah's chemistry. What a combination! I want more, more, more!

Pleasure Port 27 by Kate Douglas:
Mira, a pleasure-bot constructed to give sexual pleasure, is stationed on Earth, also known as Pleasure Port 27. For eight years she has serviced space travelers; three each night for three hours each. After so many encounters, Mira no longer finds physical pleasure in her work.

Evan watches Mira from his telescope every night, believing her to be a
prostitute. Unable to stop himself from this voyeuristic delight, he vicariously experiences the pleasure he sees.

Mira, realizing she is being watched, becomes aroused by the sensation.
Unfortunately, she cannot allow the voyeurism to continue. Her instructions are clear; avoid discovery at all costs. Meeting Evan changes everything, for with him Mira catches a glimpse of what could be. With this knowledge can she continue as a pleasure-bot? Will she be given the opportunity to pursue personal happiness?

Evan's struggles and isolation make him a sympathetic hero. Although Mira isn't physically isolated she is very much alone. They complete each other. The voyeur scenes were really erotic as were their more intimate moments. This tale was especially touching.

License to Thrill by Sahara Kelly:
Jane Bradford works as the office manager of a top secret government agency. When the flu sweeps through the office leaving her alone to manage the entire work load, she finds herself in direct contact with field agent, Edvarde 'Eddie' Przybyl.

Jane is instantly attracted to Eddie's voice and when they meet face to face, her attraction level increases several notches. The feeling is mutual. Although Eddie appears to be absolutely perfect, he isn't. He's 'different'. Soon Jane finds out how different. Will she be able to accept his uniqueness?

Rubenesque heroines are my favorites! In addition to her size 14 figure, Jane's personality was sexy, funny and charming. And, Eddie's special talents had me sizzling for more! An unusual premise, I would love to read more Anasazia adventures.

I am often reluctant to buy an anthology because I am usually disappointed by at least one of the stories. Happily this was not the case in Ellora's Cavemen Legendary Tales III! I enjoyed every one of these tales!

Annabelle
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed