I became interested in reading the Trilogy of the Blood Curse after reading the Clan Novel series. This first book, centering around the elder Ventrue, Owain, starts off a bit slow but ends with a flourish.

Everything takes place in Atlanta, where we get to see our old friends Benison, Hanna, Benjamin, Thelonius, and others before the Clan novel series. Owain, though not directly involved in the local politics, does carry some weight around with his experience. When the Blood Curse hits, Owain is torn between his duties to the local Prince, and his own personal feelings. In the end, the world begins to crumble around Owain as he discovers old emotions, long buried in his cold dead heart.

The novel jumps around quite a bit between other vampires and other cities, this to give the reader the impression of how far the Blood Curse is spread. A few of the other stories begin to weave into the main story towards the end. Overall, a good read.

Multi-dimensional, interesting characters with well-built motive, good sub-plots. Writing has nice sense of pace, lots of action. Very well written, hard to put down.

Minor flaws only...too much scene jumping & I wish there was better closure at the end...but I guess he's trying to sell the second book in the series.

First part of a trilogy, it's amazing how the life of a vampire is changed by elements around him and how he finds many answers to his cursed life. Owain now feels redemption, and it's only the beginning. A great book, recommend this to anyone!

One star is way too generous for this. Desperado (come on, Desperado?) is a chauvinist pig with no class, intellect, or respect for anyone and Chole is a complete twit who does little more than droll over said pig for the length of the book. Combine that with a complete lack of plot, and this is quite possibly the worst book I've ever read. Save your money for anything by Lorraine Heath, Kathleen Kane, Maggie Osborne, or Susan Kay Law. This one isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The story line caught my attention from the very first page and carried me through to the end without coming off as scattered thoughts and jibberish as to the hero/heroine's thoughts and feelings and didn't drag on in dialogue.

To me, the characters were interesting and believable. I love Desperado, the dark mysterious stranger who comes into town and hires on for a cattle drive, and Chloe spends the rest of the novel trying to figure out what drives him.
Connie Mason did a wonderful job in developing these characters to match wits with each other in interesting, intriguing and sensual ways. There was no dragging-your-heels in the descriptions and dialogue of this story. It was even paced and enjoyable to read.

... I highly recommend this book, it's a page-turner! I couldn't put it down!

Connie Mason has a knack for making her male leads so hot and this book was no exception. Desperado is the fastest gun in the west. He is feared and revered by so many. Chloe is about to lose her ranch to a bunch of money-grumbing people and needs a fearsome gunslinger to protect her herd as she makes her way to the market to sell them to pay her back taxes. He is hired on to help her and her herd and her hired hands not more than boys, make it to market, but what Chloe doesn't know is, Desperado has a hidden agenda. The story was explosive and full of action. I loved Desperado. He was pure sex-appeal. He was reknown for his coldness and meanness, but inside Chloe finds his heart. I don't know what it is about the way Mason writes, but her men become so real to the reader that you wish they would walk right off the pages. I loved 'Gunslinger', it's one of the BEST western romances I have EVER read.

I didn't want to give these as gifts before trying out the recipes. The first one I tried made cookies that were about as dry and as hard as rocks. The second recipe made cookies that came out like pancakes that I had to scrape off the pan and throw out. I wasn't interested in wasting more time on any others. I modified one of my own favorite recipes to fit in a jar.

This book is exactly what I was looking for. The recipes and suggestions are very well-explained and easy to follow. I especially like the pre-printed directions to copy. I can't wait to get started on some great Christmas gifts!

This book is great! I have not found many quality cookbooks with
cookie jar mixes. This has it all. I make these cookie mixes ahead of time and have an instant ready to give gift for any occassion. I recently gave one as a hostess gift. You can decorate the lid with any occasion fabric and complete it with a tie that coordinates. The easy to print page is copied on a photo copier and I reduced it to 75% to make the perfect gift tag that attaches to the jar. These gifts are fun to make with children as well as they make a great fundraiser for your school or church. I'm sure you won't be dissapointed with this cookbook.

This wasn't a bad sequel to "To love a stranger" but it was not as strong as the first one. The antogonist was forboding but was not as all imposing as the first one. Overall It was a good read.

This is the second book in the Delaney brother's trilogy, including in order, "To Love A Stranger", "To Tame A Renagade" and "To Tempt A Rogue". This was very tenderhearted and very sweet, comparing it to the first one about the eldest brother Pierce in TO LOVE A STRANGER.

Chad Delaney is on the run from his past, a dark and forbidding one that he can't seem to shake no matter how hard he tries. He hasn't seen his two brothers Pierce and Ryan in over two long and lonely years as he hunts men down for money as a bounty hunter. During one of these jobs he tracks a notorious bank robber into the tiny town of Carbon, Wyoming. But as soon as Chad has arrived, the outlaw had fled and so has his family. Irritated, Chad decides to ask around town to see if anyone has seen him when he runs into a bedraggled boy on the streets being beaten and teased by nasty bullies. Deciding he couldn't stand there and let the boys beat on the poor helpless boy, Chad helps him. Which turns out to be a big mistake when he takes the boy home, a shantytown right on the outskirts of Carbon. A filthy and poor section where people,lives worse than animals.

Sarah Temple is in no mood for an illtempered bounty hunter coming to her door bringing her little boy, beaten and scared. She distrusts all men and looks upon Chad's handsome face with nothing but loathing. In the heated exchange that follows, Sarah suffers an accident and Chad feels responsible. Now Chad is finding himself helping the poor woman more than he ever intended. He wants to leave her behind and continue on with his own life but his almost forgotten concience compells him to stay and help her.

The longer Chad stays to help her, the more he finds out about the single mother and the way she lives. Is she connected to the very outlaw he is hunting? Will her life change his in the blink of an eye? Does he want it to? Can he trust himself if he becomes besotted with yet another destressed woman? Can his heart and soul manage the pain again? Chad soon learns that Fate has already made plans for him whether he is ready to face his demons or not...

We meet up again with all the Delaneys and we get to catch up again with the characters from the first book TO LOVE A STRANGER with Pierce and Zoey Delaney and Pierce and Chad's younger and very rogueish brother Ryan. The story is filled with non-stop action and tender scenes between an emotionless Chad trying to find his heart once again and an abandoned young woman trying to raise a little boy on nothing but scraps of food and torn clothing. It was a beautiful story of will and courage and how things will always turn out in the end. Ms. Mason brings us right into the last book in this exciting trilogy "To Tempt A Rogue" easily and with much excitement! TO TAME A RENEGADE is a sure hit and a keeper! All are sweet tales of rugged, yet gentle men from the Montana mountains...enjoy! :-)

Tracy Talley~@

This book is one of the best book I've read and I have to say that it is going to be in my collection to keep. I think Chad is such a wonderful character, although he seems to be rugged,his heart is kind. I think it is great that a book could captured a feeling such as that because like in the real world,some men are the same as Chad. This book is a must read!

This story is the sequel to Sin's story. You do see him as well as Emma in different parts of this story.

Julian is still spying for the crown and is actually the notorious "Scorpion" that is searching of for the Jackal. When he is discovered during a one smuggling excursion and is captured. He manages to escape by jumping overboard and being shot. While out walking the next day Lara (part gypsy, part Ton member) finds him on the beach and is immediately drawn to him. She gets help and takes him back to the camp where her grandmother helps to save him. At the same time the Jackal's men are looking for him. Lara claims that not only is he sick but he is her husband. Due to a bizarre set of events this actually makes them married in the eyes of the Gypsies... Interesting for a man who has sworn off marriage.

In true jerk form he doesn't believe that she is wife, that she is a virgin or that she is anything other than a Gypsy and therefore below him as an Earl. He leaves in the early morning.

Much to his surprise they meet again at a ball thrown in her favor by her father (of course Julian jumps to the wrong conclusion about why she is there). Then both her life and Emma's are in danger causing Julian to take some strong arm tactics and flee to Scotland (with Lara). Though Julian is a huge jerk throughout most of this story I really liked it and was glad to read about Julian and Emma as well as Lara :)

This book is a sequel to A TASTE OF SIN, which is one of my favorite HRN. I've always wondered about Julian, elder brother of Sinjun in the prequel. He was described as a very honorable & responsible person albeit mysterious. He live by the rules and is over protective of his family. He also have a dark personal mission. To find the person responsible for the death of his fiancee. His character here in A Breathe of Scandal is consistent but is of course more detailed. We learn more about him and he is definitely not the prude man I thought he was in ATOS. In fact, he is a very passionate man. On one of his secret mission he was rescued my a gypsy woman named Lara. She claimed him as his husband to save his life. Yes, Lara did save him from death but she also added complication to his well contained heart & well organized life. What a riot! I love Lara's character. She is no nonsense and straight forward. She knows who she is and what she wants regardless of her new station in life. Sometimes she feels she doesn't fit in outside the Gypsy world yet she adapts well and never loses her personality. The Gypsies and their way of life was an interesting read for me. This is my first book with such kind of plot & the way Ms. Mason explains and describes it makes me feel like I am inside the book. It grabs my imagination. A Gypsy woman versus a Noble sure have a big difference in their ways of living and belief. Interesting! The relationship development of Julian & Lara is heart warming. They are both full of desire despite the contradiction of their mind. There's lots of sex scenes but I didn't mind it. For me, it's written with passion. You can feel their affection and not just lust. Of course, there's always the usual confusions and misunderstanding twist but there is also some element of surprises between them.

The action and mystery line was a bit light and predictable, however since I am not much on action/mystery, this didn't bother me at all. Just thought I'd mention it here for others who prefer heavy action/mystery added on their romance books.

The appearance of the characters in A TASTE OF SIN was one of the best part for me. I love reading updates of the characters from my previous books especially if they are my favorites. The Epilogue of this book was simply perfect. It's happy, filled with love, family & children. Goose bumps alert :-)

The reason why this book didn't belong to a five star rate to me is because of the added romance of Emma and Rudy. I loved Emma's spunky character in A TASTE OF SIN and couldn't wait to read her very own story. I didn't expect her to simply be an extra piece here in A BREATHE OF SCANDAL. I didn't mind her marriage with Rudy, I think it's fitting but I would have love to read how she tamed Rudy. I just want more of her. Oh well, that's only a small niggle which unfortunately took one star out of my overall rating.

Juxtaposed with A Taste of Sin, Ms Mason's first offering from her Scottish Highlands installment, A Breath of scandal fares much better. In fact, this time she puts her spicy narration to her advantage and not just a story overload with lewd scenes to titillate as in the first novel. A Breath of Scandal is sexy but with a heart - the characters molded out by Ms. Mason brings the pages alive. Julian Thornton is the brother of Sinjun and his rigid decorum belies a secret agent identity "Scorpion". He is haunted by the phantom of his demised fiancee Diana and swears to take vengeance on The Jackal, the mastermind behind a smuggling ring and who caused the death of Diana.

On his secret mission, he fell prey to the hunchmen of the Jackal but is saved by a half Gypsy girl, Lara. From there, the attraction is set - Lara sacrifices her pride to pose as Julian's wife and to hide him from his tenacious enemy, he assumes the identity as Lara's husband, Drago. After nights of passion, Julian and Lara forged a tenuous love only to be shattered by Julian's guilt and the mismatching social status. It is only after he returns to London did he find that Lara is actually the daughter of the Earl of Stanhope.Their reunion is short-lived - with the chase of enemy behind both of them, their love would prove even more difficult....

Connie Mason sculpts the characters to finesse in this book. I was a bit disappointed with Sinjun's profligate ways last time, but Julian shows a more nuanced, mellow and resilient shade which I much preferred. The only thing was his xenophobia and parochial view on Gypsy group - even to the shallow point of thinking Lara was a loose woman. Lara - as usual is strong, brave and decisive, as with all the women characters in Ms. Mason's book. Ms. Mason does not disappoint. The passionate scenes are fiery and sensual, and complimented by an exciting plot to the finish, A BREATH OF SCANDAL is lushly scandalous to take the breath away from the fanatics.

This is the first Perry Mason mystery written in 1933. Nobody will call it a masterpiece. No thrilling battle at the courtroom. Not so well-plotted as a whodunit. And Mason does not display his ingenuity of outwitting the authorities (the police and the prosecution) and/or trapping the real murderer.

Still this book describes Mason's unchanged attitude throughout the whole series most clearly; even if his client betrays him, he never betrays his client and does everything he can to protect his client. And the wild character of early Mason is vividly described. I don't recommend this book if you've never read Mason mysteries, but I bet this is a must-read for Mason fans.

The title means the client, a young beautiful married woman who seems to hide her claws under velvet. She is definitely the nastiest client of all the Mason mysteries.

I agree with the earlier reviewers that there is a notable shift between the earlier Perry Masons and the ones he wrote starting in about 1939/1940 or so. The earlier ones are definitely a straight continuation of Gardner's pulp books (Paul Pry, etc) and belong firmly in the Sam Spade category. The Perry here is very different from the Perry of the TV show and the later Perry of the books. Since Gardner kept tight control over the TV scripts, I imagine that the later book Perry resembles the TV Perry very closely for a reason....

In any case, the first few Perry Mason mysteries are very much in the Chinatownish genre--police corruption, decadent rich folks, and some surprise plot twists. To appreciate the earlier (1930s) Perry Masons, one must realize that the simple truth of the matter was that the DA's office was virtually the law enforcement division of the movie industry and the gambling syndicates and the LAPD was willing to frame any convenient sap it could lay its hands on. This explains the incredibly dark view of the establisment in the earlier books. Gardner, who was one of the few white lawyers willing to take Chinese clients in cases against the white establishment, had more than his share of run-ins against the 'Establishment' and more-often-than-not usually won because he was almost as good a lawyer as his creation, Perry Mason. In fact, once or twice he reworked some of his cases into the Perry Mason plots (e.g., the "Twice in Jeopardy" defense for an accused hit and run driver). When the LAPD was cleaned up and became more professional, Gardner retired Seargent Holcomb and brought in Lt. Tragg to update his books.

I have to agree with the earlier characterization and writing style critiques--as great writers go, Gardner would have to rank somewhere below me. However, as great mystery authors go, Gardner's ONLY competition is (the pre-1960s) Agatha Christie. The rest are all also rans but with some honorable mentions. I never pass up a chance to read a Perry Mason mystery because the court scenes are always a delight, there are NEVER any holes in the plot and I can almost never figure out who dunnit and why.

Gardner introduced readers to Perry Mason and his gang--Della Street and Paul Drake in this interesting mystery. Mason does anything and everything for a client, but in this novel, his client tries to set him up as the killer. In order to save himself, Mason has to turn the tables on his client. Della begged Mason not to take the case, and once he did, started to lose faith in him. All works out in the end, and when you are sure you know who the killer is, Gardner twists the plot, and takes you by surprise.

"Last Summer at Barebones" is a perfect Summer book. I enjoyed the story and was rooting for Dee.
I do agree that the ending kind of stunk. It seemed too rushed. Other than that, great book.

This book takes you right back to the 60's and 70's as quick as a time machine. But it's hard to read at times, because it's so gruellingly honest. Fortunately it's also extremely funny. The ending is a double whammy. Just when you think it's over she hits you again, in a different way. It's a really important book to read, especially for anyone who still feels bad because they were or are picked on for being fat. I couldn't put it down!

Barebones (to me anyway) was about family -- how family members fit and relate, their perceptions of each other, their misperceptions about themselves. It's also a great growing up story. Characters were individuals with foibles and eccentricities. Mason made them lively and interesting (and sometimes silly) but even while she was poking fun at them, you could feel that she cared about them and respected them -- that's a neat trick.

And I had no problem with the ending -- it was plausible and it fit the characters.

As always I love Connie's books. She has a way with words that really brings the characters to life.

This book is set in Scotland, where the hero, Damian, an Englishman, is sent to prevent a wedding that would join two clans and possible upset the fragil peace between England and Scotalnd. The king send Damian, a landless knight to be the new Lord of Misterly & if he can prevent the wedding the land will be his. He arrives just in time to keep the heroine, Elissa Fraser keeping her promise to her dead father. He had wanted her to marry the Gordon Laird and unite the two clans. At first Elissa treats Damian like the hated Englishman he is and thinks he will be cruel and harsh with her clan and family, but she soon finds that he is a honest, caring, tender man who has no wish to hurt anyone anymore.

they soon realize the strong attraction they have to each other and the love scenes are passionate and beautiful. But there are evil forces that keep them from being together and they must fight for thier love and their very lives.

I enjoyed this book so much that I read it all in one setting. Its a fast and exciting read. I can't wait to read her new book as soon as I get it.

There is not much I can write about given that my predecessors have done so quite eloquently, I will just tell you that this book treats us to a lot of passion, love, courage and learning.

This was a great story. Damian and Elissa find love despite the tragedies that have touch both of their lives. Damian an English Knight who fought on Culloden Moor and Elissa the proud Scottish beauty who lost her father and brothers at the same battle. Despite their differences and bigotry of English/Scottish heritage they find love. Of course it is not a smooth path, but then again anything worth having is worth working for.

Don't miss this one by Connie Mason it won't let you down

I purchased this book and now regret it. So many of the ballets decribed are minor pieces that are rarely performed any more, while many major classic ballets that are still performed and/or that are important in dance history are totally neglected (e.g. Le Corsaire, Raymonda, Paquita, Esmerelda). Other descriptions focus only on one part of the ballet rather than telling you the actual story. The entry on "La Bayadère," for instance, focuses almost entirely on Act IV, which is frustrating since this is a ballet with a complicated libretto that could really benefit from a complete summary. I'd recommend going to a library and photocopying the info on the ballets that interest you rather than purchasing this as a handy reference book to have at home. It's just not worth the money.

Balanchine had a unique ability to understand the ballet and to be able to explain it to others, even if they did not know anything about it. This book which he wrote with Francis Mason, is very handy for balletomane's to have on their shelves. It explains about different ballet's, both classical and contemporary, and describes their story line or plot and gives detailed comments about how the ballet is presented. Good for reference or for curious readers.

This book should be of interest to any ballet fan, as it contains the librettos of many famous ballets. It was written by George Balanchine, the famous choreographer of New York City Ballet, along with Francis Mason, a dance critic. In the preface, Mr. Balanchine writes, "This book contains stories of 101 ballets. Fifty are old favorites, ballets in the standard repertory that are performed regularly, plus a few ballets of major historical importance. The fifty-one others are among the many new ballets that have appeared in the past six years, since 'Balanchine's New Complete Stories of the Great Ballets' appeared in 1968. The idea behind this paperback edition is to keep up with main trends in the repertory while also providing the background of the standard repertory. (p. ix)

I learned that I needed a book such as this one, when after viewing act 1 of "Giselle," I realized that I had become completely lost in trying to understand the story line, and there was no libretto provided on the VCR tape. I suppose that one could watch a ballet just for the sake of the dancing and the music, but I like to understand the plot as well! Many of the crucial points in understanding a ballet often come down to interpreting mime gestures, or dance movements that function as a mime gesture, as there are no spoken words in a ballet. That's where this book can really help out.

Each entry begins with an overview that contains a lot of information and historical data. Here is a typical entry from "Romeo and Juliet": "Ballet in three acts. Music by Sergei Prokofiev. Choreography by Kenneth MacMillan. Scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis. Lighting by William Bundy. First presented by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, February 9, 1965, with Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn as Romeo and Juliet. First presented in the United States by the Royal Ballet at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, April 21, 1965." (p. 373) In some cases, there are multiple versions of same ballet. For instance, there are five different interpretations of "Romeo and Juliet," those of Leonid Lavrosvsky, Antony Tudor, Frederick Ashton, John Cranko, and Kenneth MacMillan. Following the overview, there is a detailed analysis of every scene of each act. Even if you are familiar with a particular ballet, you may come to appreciate some finer points through the expert analysis. Sometimes at the end, Balanchine will also provide his own commentary, and there are often excerpts from critical reviews.

It's too bad that the third and last edition of this book was made in 1975, as Balanchine died in 1983. It would be nice to have something more contemporaneous, but this is the only one of its kind that I have been able to find, except for a few for children. As was stated in the quote from the preface above, half of this book is devoted to ballets that were created in the six years prior to 1975. I cannot say how well all of these ballets have held up over time, or whether they are actively being performed. But, at a minimum, the fifty ballets from the standard repertory should be helpful to today's ballet fan. This book does not include mention of any new interpretations of these standards from the last twenty-five years, but these librettos will probably get you fairly close. Despite the fact that this book is now dated, I still find it extremely helpful and valuable.

I am a CCSA in NG and wanted something to supplement my studies for the CCSE in NG and also help me with my day to day job. So I was excited when this book came out. The technical content is very incorrect in places and simple grammar mistakes are very common. The writing style is just awfull and there is no flow in the book whatsoever. All this book does is server to confuse. Avoid at all cost!

Interesting Book. There are theory chapters in here that seem just background but the Chapter on CVP, VPN and the installation chapters are better than any other Check Point book I have purchased. The installation chapters cover virtually all operating systems.
I also liked the coverage of differences between Feature Pack releases and found the appendixes useful.
Overall, I would recommend the book if you are looking to actually use the product in your day job.

Superb for installing and configuring VPN-1/FireWall-1 NG, contains lots of real-world examples. Covers just about everything you need to know, including content security, remote access VPN, SecureClient and Policy Server. The book is obviously written by techies who use the product extensively.
Anyone using VPN-1/FireWall-1 NG should have this book on their shelves.