Men and their Dignity

After reading Awaken to Pleasure and Nalini Singh's other novels, I come to a realization (and maybe it's because her Silhouette novels really focus on the emotional aspect of her characters) that her male characters have a male dignity and are allowed to keep, for the most part, that dignity throughout their story. What I mean to say is that they are not unmanned or emasculated to illustrate how much they truly love their female counter part.

(I should briefly describe my version of male dignity: when a strong men who carries strong emotions, but is locked down so tight that it is hard for them to express it (usually due to past emotional stress), the woman who are starting to love them understand and take joy in the affection they show without demanding what their 'version' of love and affections is. Instead, in most cases, the men are allowed to generally come to the conclusion on their own of what they want and it tends to line up with what the female characters want as well. There is no, it's only my way or the highway between either of the two main characters. In place of that, the two characters slowly feel out their relationship and in the end get what they both desire.)

Nalini allows, and her female characters accept, that the men in their lives have dignity. In fact the heroine's are allowed to and find respect in the male characters point of views and emotional state. In her Silhouette novels, the men tend to be strong and have a lot of possessive tendencies (in a good way). Their female counter parts understand and work within their views, but that isn't to say that they don't stick up for their beliefs or argue when the moment is right. I should also say that even if the male characters don't initially like their female counter parts, they always display respect towards them.

The heroines tend to work with their men and up until a point in the novel (usually when the man starts to get out of hand) are willing to have parts of their relationship be guided by their views. It's at this point in her stories that the men in her novels have to come to a certain realization and take their blinders off to realize that they truly love their woman and they desire to spend the rest of the lives with them.

Her men, like almost any man, throughout the story starts to feel like it's their due that the heroine do as they request, whether if it's going to a party with them, allowing for their disagreements to be conversed about in private, or giving the woman in their life a little space (not much) to chose to be with them, they act like real men and the woman in her stories never allow themselves to be walked over, at least, not for long.

That isn't to say that her woman are emotionally submissive and that they are constantly prostrating themselves on their husbands to tell them what to do or how to think. All of her female characters are strong, have their own views and are willing to take the time to look back on their conversations/fights to reflect and decide where to go from there. It's this true almost 50/50 relationship that she builds that keeps me coming back for more.

When reading her novels, I truly feel that apart her characters would have a lackluster and unfulfilled life, but together they are made whole and turn out better for it. There is always an emotional sharing, a strengthening of both characters mental state when they are completely together in the end. It's as if she weaves her characters emotional halves together to create a whole and the end result is something that I would wish for everyone to find in real life.

I very rarely find this in any other author novels (Lisa Kelypas is another great novelist that does this well). In most cases, the characters come together in the end but the compromise is always uneven and a true meshing of characters emotional and physical lives is not there. Usually the woman ends ups staying home (I should say that this statement is geared more towards paranormal novels) while the male goes out and kills something before returning home. Even though the female is his 'heart' what has he given up or over come? While the female character tends to have either given up her world, her work or friends because 'they wouldn't understand' or 'shouldn't know the trueth', the men still get to run around like before and kill things.

No, I desire a man who can be a man and a woman who appreciates it and the love that truly makes them both stronger. That's what keeps me reading...

Book Review- Awaken to Pleasure

Awaken to Pleasure (Silhouette Desire #1602)
By Nalini Singh

This novel introduces Taylor Reid, a woman whose unpleasant experiences with dating and desire have left her scared and unable to cope with real desire. She struggling to overcome her conniving step father as he attempts to battle her for custody of her younger brother and her unwilling desire for Jackson. Jackson Santorini, a famous film director has desperately wanted Taylor for years but has lost his belief in trust and love a long time ago.

I really enjoy Nalini Singh's novel and after having first read her Phy and Changeling novels then picking up her earlier Silhouette novels, I continue to be amazed at her writing style and technique. Every character has its own unique voice and you feel as if you are actually listening to their internal thought processes as opposed to watching the scenes play out.

She is the first author I recommend when asked for suggestions on reading material, and one of the only authors that I lend out my books and want returned (normally I just give them away to interested parties). She is one of the people I'd like to meet before I die (the other is Liam Nelson, and don't worry I'll stop gushing soon). I highly suggest reading this novella. It won't disappoint and kept me reading to the end.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 for storyline/romance and a 4 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.

If you'd like to find out more about this author and her other novels, please click here.

Cooked Food, Wedding Board and a Book Review

Well I think somewhere down the line today, I might have gotten a various on my computer… what fun! Probably should run a virus check sometime soon.

Well last weekend was a fun experience. Mike and I spent the entire weekend together without one car crash! Yeay. We took his car to a couple of places to have a maintenance check done, mostly to figure out what is wrong with the darn thing that is close to 150k miles. Both places we took it to told us two different things. We jokingly (probably will) said that we should take it to a third store and see what they have to say. Ah, got to love the overpriced car maintenance shops.

It’s pretty windy and cold over here and with the bad weather the south is getting I don’t know if the windstorm we currently are experiencing on the west coast is going to be good for them. It’s weird that it could be sunny and cloudless (a miracle as it is) while this windstorm blows through the northwest. I’ve been trying to get out and get a picture of the ducks that frequent the man made ponds and of course the pool they can’t seem to stay out of. I’ve been a bit lazy (mostly cause it cold) and haven’t grabbed the camera and just walked down the street. It would be my first foray into wildlife photography. I’m excited for the baby ducts to arrive. I just wished I lived a little closure to the ponds.

I decided to compete in a contest where you have to create a wedding inspiration board that costs under $500. To be included: gown, shoes, jewelry/other accessories and veil/headpiece/tiara/hair accessories. More information and how to enter can be found here. It’s both a hard and easy task. I found a bunch of items I like but do they fit together? I’m hoping they do! I have a couple going at once, as I wanted to try it out with a couple of dresses that I found. So I have dresses down, hopefully shoes. Next its jewelry and headpieces. I can’t wait, but I’m kind of late in the game (i.e. just found out about it today and the contest closes tomorrow, the story of my life). I’m really excited about just trying to make an inspiration board that I can’t wait to see what weird stuff I match up!

My foray into food has been interesting so far. At my parents house, I cooked but it was never required every day, three meals a day or heck even once a day. It’s probably been about a month before I moved out that I cooked something that wasn’t cookies (I love those small little bundles of joy). Usually it was breakfast, which can be a real no brainer. Now that I’ve moved out, it's more of a dinner meal with perhaps stuff left over for lunches. I’ve tried chicken and gnocchi (if you want a melty cheese, please keep in mind feta doesn’t melt even if it tastes delicious), I’ve cook a whole chicken (which turned out great! Thanks Anthony Boudain’s for sharing your best chicken cooking friend with us), spaghetti (which apparently needed more salt) and lots and lots of eggs for breakfast (I now have cereal so that stopped the unending torture).

I’ve concocted my very first two week meal plan, portioned out the bulk meat and vegetables we purchased on Sunday (we dropped over $250 in all) and will hopefully see how it goes. I feel just a bit better not having to try and think of dinner items every day that aren’t out of a can. I felt like I was going to repeat spaghetti/chicken/spaghetti/chicken for the rest of my life. Then I realized….I like eating other meats and I only have Mike to worry about, so I can cook what ever I want and he’ll have to eat it (insert evil laugh here). I remembered that there is steak, pork, pheasant, fish, lamb and loads of seafood out there for me to try. I can’t wait! PS- I’d like to honorably mention meatloaf in there as well. I’m so excited, I just hope Mike realizes what’ll soon be gracing his plate.

A book review for you by one of my favorite authors!

Slave to Sensation
By Nalini Singh















The first book in her series about humans with Phy powers, or can change into animals or just plan old humans was a great hit and I absolutely loved it. This book focuses on Sascha Duncan, a cardinal (top level) Psy whose flaw will eventually get her killed and Lucas Hunter, the leader of a pack of changling animals that hate the Psy like nothing else. Forced to work with Duncan, her careful training starts to unravel with every sensual look he throws her way. He needs answers she can provide but he can’t seem to fight the pull she has on him. There lives are forced into a tug of war game that has deathly consequences.

I can’t stress how much I love reading Nalini Singh’s books. She writes strong multilayered main and secondary characters. She introduces an alternate world that was easy to understand and step into. Her rules are brutally honest and at times harsh but never without reason. She’s weaved such a strong back history with just a few paragraphs that the reader in the end has no problem understanding the reasoning behind the characters feelings or flaws.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 for storyline/romance and a 5 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.