Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Review:"Where's My Hero?"

Title: Where's My Hero?
Authors: Lisa Kleypas, Kinley MacGregor, and Julia Quinn
Genre: Historical Romance
Publication Date: August 2003
Pages: 374
Summary (B&N):
Dear Avon Books,
Where are my heroes? Whenever I'm reading a book by one of my favorite authors I find I'm falling for the wrong guy — not the hero, but the other man — and what I really want is for him to have his own story.

Like Jake Linley, from Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas…that doctor could sit by my bedside if I ever got sick. And Ned Blydon in Splendid by Julia Quinn...he makes me want to learn to waltz! I never thought living in a drafty castle would be much fun until Simon of Ravenswood in Master of Desire by Kinley MacGregor came along.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that these are my men — when do they get their stories?

Sincerely,
A Romance Fan

Some books are so special that there is more than one hero to love, but only a single story is told. So if you find yourself asking, "Where is my hero?" you'll discover the answer right here in this delicious collection by New York Times bestseller Lisa Kleypas, New York Times bestseller Julia Quinn and USA Today bestseller Kinley MacGregor









My Thoughts:



When I first started reading romance, it was historical romance that got me started. And a great part of my current obsession is due to the brilliant work of two best-selling authors for this genre, Julia Quinn and Lisa Kleypas. I instantly fell in love with their work, the characters they so wonderfully painted on the pages, and the numerous romantic 'sigh' moments in their stories. I've read most of both of their books, and because of this, I haven't read anything from either one in a few months, from Quinn it's been probably a good year. But as soon as I picked up Where's My Hero?, all the reasons why I love their work came rushing back to me! They truly are the ruling queens of the historical romance genre, and I doubt that will ever change.



Where's My Hero? is a collection of three short stories, one from each of the authors, but even though they were much shorter than their normal books, I didn't feel cheated like I normally do while reading an anthology. Instead, I was left with the same, warm and fuzzy feeling after reading the h/h fall in love and have their HEA--- no disappointments or feeling like their story had been cut short. That in itself is saying a lot, since if you ask most people, the one downside to an anthology is the rushed feeling you usually get from it. But not with this one-- it was perfect, just like any of the authors' other books.



I laughed, I sighed, and I'll admit it, I came pretty close to tearing up more than a few times while reading Jake (Against the Odds), Simon (Midsummer's Knight), and Ned's (A Tale of Two Sisters) books. Only great books do that to me, and this was easily one of the best I've read in a while from this genre-- it just reminded me yet again that even though it's fun to find new authors, and enjoy their books, sometimes you have to return to the beginning. And if these three authors aren't some of the great 'beginning' authors for romance, I don't know who deserves the title!



Here's one of my (many) favorite quotes from the book. This particular one is from A Tale of Two Sisters by Julia Quinn:






Quote from page 355-356 :

"How many times have you been kissed?" he asked, shrugging off his
coat.


She blinked in surprise at the unexpected question. "Once," she
replied.


"By me, I presume?" he asked mildly.

She nodded.

"Good," he said, and it was only then that she realized he'd undone his
cuffs.


She watched as his fingers went to the buttons on his shirt, her mouth
going dry as she asked, "How many times have you been kissed?"


His lips curved. "Once."

Her eyes flew up to his face.

"Once I kissed you," he said huskily, "I realized that all the others
weren't worthy of the name."


(SIGH)



5 STARS! Touching, charming, and spectacular, Where's My Hero? is the perfect book to read any time, especially if you've been having a bad book lull, unsure of what to read next-- pick up this book, sit down and get comfortable, and be prepared to pull and all-nighter, because once you get started, you won't want to put it down until it's through! And even then, I'm sure it will only be long enough to go and find their other books (whether you've read them all and they're shelved nicely on your keeper shelf, or you're a newbie and you have to rush out to the library). After reading WMH?, I'm hungry for more LK, JQ, and KM (or SK as she's known as in the paranormal section)-- I'm off to do a bit of re-reading today! :D







Enjoy!

Until Next Time,The Book Queen
Quote is from the novel Where's My Hero, specifically A Tale of Two Sisters by Julia Quinn. I did not write the words, nor do I claim them.

3 comments :

Blanche said...

That is an awesome quote TBQ!!! I have a couple of Lisa Kleypas books in the TBR but I've not read anything by the other 2 authors! I'm going to look for the book.....your review is awesome!! :)

The_Book_Queen said...

Blanche--
I know, when I read that, I swear my heart stopped, just like Charlotte's no doubt did. I thought, ah, that's so sweet, it's the perfect answer to a question like that!

Well, I can promise you, don't put off reading any of their books-- they really are great. Kleypas is amazing, and Quinn is as well. MacGregor, AKA Sherrilyn Kenyon, is also a good author, though I've only read a couple of her book so far. Believe me-- read them now, you won't regret it! ;)

Enjoy,
TBQ

Eva S said...

Three of my favorites as well, thanks for the great review and quote!
I'll have to try to find this book...