Read this romantic suspense thriller on the flight back from Tokyo in one sitting, with time left to start on another. Cold As Ice was a page-turner for me because of the badass hero (with a heart of gold) that Anne Stuart has created in Peter Jensen. 

I’ve read Black Ice and liked it, and had already made up my mind to get this book as well. However, Bam’s and Karen’s reviews almost gave me pause, but just to be perverse (as I told Karen) I went ahead and bought it anyhow.

I said almost, because soon as I learnt and understood the heroine, Genevieve’s anguished past, I began to understand her insecurities and why in her naivette she acted so foolishly. Don’t get me wrong, I still haven’t forgiven her for her stupid fatalistic death wish of trying to rescue the real baddie, Harry van Dorn, and her failure to recognize that Peter was trying to save her. Okay, for the benefit of those who haven’t read this book, please read the excerpt at the author’s website. I will simply plunge straight into what worked and what didn’t for me. 

Even before I met the Essex sisters, I’ve been patiently waiting for Eloisa James to give poor Mayne a break and send someone to love him. He’s never been the same since Helena rejected him in Your Wicked Ways. 

So when the Essex sisters were introduced, I had this feeling that one of the Essex sisters will complete his soul’s yearning for true love and secretly hoped it’d be the delightfully saucy Josie, the heroine of Pleasure for Pleasure. 

The book opens with Imogen’s and Rafe’s wedding, during which we met Mayne’s fiancée, the decidedly French and eccentric Sylvie, and a downcast Josie who’s trying to cheer up after the debacle of her debut. The curvaceous young woman was given the hateful nickname of “The Scottish Sausage” by a bunch of bored, inconsiderate young bucks within a week of her debut, and her hopes of gaining a respectable marriage appear dim. 

To boost her flagging confidence, Mayne, who’s always had a soft spot for our dear witty Josie, took her under his wings one evening, and gave her some sound advice: discard her corset, flaunt her curves and flirt outrageously. 

You would hardly, if ever, find vampire tales on my shelf, yet I must confess that never since Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has the story of a pair of star-crossed lovers elicit such sweet heartache and deep empathy from me as Teresa Medeiros’ Portia and Julian. 

I’ve generally steered clear of vampire lores and werewolf legends, preferring magic and medieval blood and gore to the paranormal and grisly world of these bloodsuckers and shape-shifters. I find that I don’t really have the stomach for the macabre and twisted love-hate relationships. They give me the shivers!! However, if there’s ever a vampire romance that could potentially swing me over to the dark side, The Vampire Who Loved Me has the makings of it. 

I’m no stranger to Ms Medeiros’ works, and quite a number of her novels (The Fairest of Them All, Charming the Prince and A Breath of Magic come to mind immediately) have found favour in my books. The Vampire continues five years from After Midnight. The reader never did get to find out what happened in the crypt between Julian and Portia in that book. The author continues here with hints of what could have occurred but the full extent of Portia’s relationship with Julian wasn’t really revealed until almost towards the end.

What drew my attention to this book was Sybil’s comment on its rather tastefully done cover. I was interested in The Grail King by Joy Nash, which marks the debut of the author’s Druids of Avalon series, because of its loose connection to King Arthur and my love of Avalon, medieval magic and fantasy. I would have forgotten about it had it not been for Kristie and Cindy (thanks, ladies!). 

Fans of the Arthurian saga would be familiar with the search for the Holy Grail, and though there have been many other fictional works covering this quest, few speculated on how the Grail came to be connected to Avalon. I must commend Joy Nash for weaving that into this story very convincingly. 

The story happens some years after Celtic Fire which, judging from Jayne’s review, I don’t regret skipping … I would have given it a wide berth if I’d gone by its cover anyway. Boy, am I glad this paranormal fantasy (which earned a C+ from Jayne) didn’t suffer from an awful clinch cover! 

Well, my Tokyo mission was successfully completed, thanks to my co-operative colleagues. Their warm hospitality and friendliness will always remain even as I bid a fond farewell to this amazing city. 

If my initial impression of the city’s orderly and ultra modern sky scrapers conjures an image of a sterile, clinical concrete jungle in your mind, then I must apologise. For beneath that stone and glass surface, there’s a warm and timeless beauty in the traditional sushi shops on street corners and the courteous people you meet everywhere. Road signs that were at first a little daunting became endearing landmarks to me, while the sight of the metro whooshing by became a welcome routine to the mornings. 

The two days of back-to-back meetings until late meant no time for sightseeing at night. I didn’t make it to the Kino wonderland, but my friends took me pass the swanky Roppongi Hills area, where bare trees dressed in fairy lights greet visitors to the precinct, winking a merry hello and imparting a dreamy feel to the area, in  cab. We had dinner at this chic, cozy fusion sushi restaurant, Rainbow Roll Sushi, and sat there expounding on the image and branding of several countries while Valentine’s Day drew to an end.

Surprise?!! I’ve arrived in Tokyo just a couple of hours ago, and decided to drop a quick post about the city, courtesy of the hotel’s free web access.

My impression of the city has always been that of a modern orderly metropolis, and Tokyo really matched the image of modern efficiency and orderliness that the capital is famous for. Everything here is so well planned and well thought out, and I’m not just referring to their public toilets — which are real marvels of the latest technology in hygiene/ sanitation. Oh, and there’s whirlpool jacuzzi tub in my hotel room.  This is sheer heaven …

This time round, I didn’t really have much time to research and read about Tokyo, but I met someone at a networking event who’s been to this city five times and loves it here. Without asking for my hobbies and interests, he recommend a visit to the 7-story Kinokuniya bookstore somewhere near the hotel where I’ll be staying – in Shinjuku. I was all round-eyed with wonder, and asked him how he knew I love books. I must have the label bookworm or booklover stamped somewhere on my forehead!