2:00 am - Hour 20 (14 hours reading)

Finished Indiscreet! Yay!

Indiscreet is about a "fallen" woman who has escaped the sneers of the British aristocracy in Turkey with her scholarly uncle who has raised her. Edward Foye is a "beast" of a man who is convinced that, since his last fiancée left him, no woman could possibly love such a man.

While the first couple chapters had me confused, I really got into Indiscreet. There was something there, and several beautiful moments that kept me moving forward, and then from a certain point (don't want to spoil anything!) I found myself not noticing that two hours had passed.

I really love Jewel's writing. She has a unique voice, class and style. But I felt that often, especially in the first couple of chapters, there was just too much introspection. I love some introspection, but eventually they started thinking the same things they'd thought before, only phrased differently. Once things started moving forward, though, it improved.

I enjoyed the subtle growth of their love - it was like they were normal people who just gradually fall in love with each other. And Sabine says several times later in the novel that she hadn't really loved him then because she didn't really know him. That and the astute observations Sabine makes about gender during their adventure together (trying very hard not to spoil anything!!) made me love her brain. I do wish she hadn't caved in to Foye so easily.

Plus, she never used his given name. I am a sucker for the "use my given name" moment, corny though it may be.

Foye himself reminded me very much of my own boy, which can be really depressing when he's so far away. One way he didn't, though, was his insistence that he was ugly - and I'm not sure he ever gets over that.

Overall, a fantastic read, and smart, and PS, the sex is pretty freaking amazing. :)

Recommended

9:00 PM - Hour 15 (9 hours reading)

I almost went for two hours straight with Indiscreet! Wow! My verdict so far is that there are some things that don't flow quite as easily as some of Carolyn's other work, but there are moments between Sabine and Edward that are beautiful and memorable. Obviously it kept me going, because I didn't put it down for nearly two hours. :)

It's getting colder in my living room, and I really don't want to turn on the heat, so I'm instead going to start the Hot Chocolate portion of the night! I am actually really excited to have another 9 hours of reading ahead of me. This is a quiet time of night. Just me, the ticking of the clock, and books. *le sigh*

8:00 pm - Hour 14 (8 hours reading time)

I finished The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown. Honestly, it was the last short story I hadn't finished. I don't know if it was like the last chocolate in the box - you're saving it for a special occasion - or not, but I'm glad I finally read Julia's story, "36 Valentines". It was very sweet and exactly what I needed to get back into reading-land after dinner.

And with that attitude, I think I'm ready to jump into Indiscreet! I have been waiting for just the right moment for this book. It's one of my most anticipated books of the year (next to Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt and Meredith's Durans two releases from this year, Bound by Your Touch and Written on Your Skin). I'm pretty excited.