Redeemable Errors

Last night I did something I hardly ever do: read a series book out of order. I'm the kind of person who is exceptionally anal about this stuff. I won't read a book out of order...never...ever (well, until last night...)!

As of late, I've even resorted to reading series books ONLY once I've completed the series. It kills me to do so, believe you me, but ultimately I won't suffer from the intense attacks of impatience like the ones that hit me when book 3 and 4 of Lisa Kleypas's Wallflower series were postponed.

I'd been wanting to read Karen Hawkins' new book, HER OFFICER AND GENTLEMAN, ever since I read the backblurb on her website. I liked the plot and loved the red book cover and thought I'd give it a try. I knew it was book 2 of a new series, but I didn't have any particular urge to read the first book; I didn't care for its plot and thought I'd just skip it. Well, ladies, if you want to do the same, trust me...DON'T. Buy a copy of HER MASTER AND COMMANDER, Book 1 of Hawkins' Reeves series and you'll spare yourself an hour of frustration and WHAT THE FAs?.

The book has promise and for that reason alone did I decide to put the book away after page 89 and just suck it up and buy HER MASTER AND COMMANDER. What gets me is that someone on the Avon board warned me not to read them out of order, but did I listen? NOOOOOOO.

Ok..I'm done being frustrated...venting really helped. Just wanted to warn you all not to read the books out of order. I didn't know what the hell was going on at one point. The hero started talking about his mother's death and I felt like I skipped a chapter or two. Well...in hindsight I guess I did skip something...an entire book.

I was missing the background clearly provided in Book 1 and it pissed me off to no end. Also, I didn't learn to appreciate the character of Reeves, the butler turned Nancy Grace (if you watch her programs, you'll know she's always looking for missing people); I felt like a lot of the 89 pages I had read were filled with his presence and I really wanted to see him hit by a runaway carriage at one point. However, I do realize the frustration was probably due to the fact that I had no inkling of HIS story.

Perhaps you're one of the view who has read this book and not had such a problem. Remember I have been slightly overworked lately, so missing brain cells are a distinct possibility. IMHO, the book is not a stand-alone. I'm a little ticked. It irks me that I'll have to read a book I never had any intention of trying out, but how can I not finish HER OFFICER when it's not a bad book and I'm curious to know how it ends. Whatever...still pissed though!

Before I return to Hawkins land, I'll need to first make a stop to Quinn town. I've just purchased Quinn's latest installment. All I can say is that it better not be even close to IT'S IN HIS KISS, which gave me an ulcer!

I'll be sure to let you all know what I think of ON THE WAY TO THE WEDDING, as well as the two Hawkins books, once I get around to reading them.

In the meantime, thanks for sticking with me and my blog. Work (yeah, broken record, right?) has been pretty insane.