In the Eye of the Beholder by Sharon E Cathcart

Title: In the Eye of the Beholder :

A Novel of the Phantom of the Opera

Author: Sharon E Cathcart

Series: Phantom Series, #1

Genre: Fiction/Historical

Publisher: Scribd

Format: PDF e-book, 121 pages

List Price: $5.00US

Reviewed: July 24, 2009

Rating: 4 stars (4.3)

Warnings: Explicit sexual content

Synopsis: Erik, the physically deformed hero finds a home, a place to belong and be accepted, in the heroine, Claire. She has a fondness for animals, for seeming lost causes. In Erik, she finds the love she thought she'd lost. Together, they escape the personal hells in which they'd been mired.

My two cents: This is a very well-written book. It is also fast-paced. I felt a little swept away and once I started reading, it was hard to stop. (Life, however, would insist otherwise.)

Claire is different than your average romance heroine. She is over thirty, never married, and under the control of a man who does not have her best interests at heart. She rebels against the “proper” behavior expected of her.

Erik is a man who has few friends and lives most of his life in solitude. His fascination with Claire helps heal the wounds caused by the fickle Christine. He is not the nicest man, however, and at times downright nasty.

These two characters could not be any more right for each other and while their coming together felt a little rushed to me, it still seemed right.

I liked Ms Cathcart's take on the classic Phantom story. It was a little more graphic (read: erotic) than I personally care for, but there was story and emotion enough that I enjoyed it even while skipping those scenes. The historical detail is excellent without being “textbook-y” and allows the reader to feel a part of the time period. Do not expect this to be your typical run-of-the-mill romance, however. The end is not expected but somehow, it's still acceptable.

Overall: 4.3 stars. Quick and deep with believable characters who have believable issues.

Note: This book is also available in many digital formats from smashwords.com and in paperback from Amazon and Turner Maxwell Books.

The Wind Whispers War by kgcummings

Title: The Wind Whispers War
Author: kgcummings
Website: www.kgcummings.com
Series: Vietnam Love Story, #1

Genre: Romance/Historical/Vietnam
Publisher: Authorhouse
ISBN: 142596026X
Format: Trade Paperback, 248 pages
List Price: $14.49US
Reviewed: July 9, 2009
Rating: 4 stars (4.3)

Characters: Jeffrey “Mad Dog” Madison, Beth Madison, née Campbell
Warnings: Graphic sexual content; some language

Synopsis: Jeffrey “Mad Dog” Madison is a playboy, finding a certain satisfaction in his romantic pursuits. Until he meets Beth Campbell, a farm girl whose innocence is polar opposite. While unrest is rampant in the world, these two young people fall deeply in love, always aware that war may rip them apart forever.

My two cents: Oh, this book was so hard to put down! This surprised me, as the Vietnam war was not a subject that ever really interested me. But I was immediately intrigued with these two characters and wanted to know what was going to happen next. The emotion was believably written and very easy to get drawn into. I cried more than once, felt like I was living through history that my parents actually did experience and I finally understood some of the stories my mom told me. Not only was this hard to put down, I found myself thinking about these characters later. Kgcummings successfully created characters that the reader could care for. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. I want to know what happens to these characters as the story goes on.

And I just have to mention, this series has some of the most beautiful book covers I have ever seen. :o)