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Word Confusion: Unexceptionable versus Unexceptional

Word Confusion: Unexceptionable versus Unexceptional

Unexceptionable versus unexceptional is one of the most confusing(!) word confusions I’ve come across. Both words are adjectives and a negative form of the same root word, exceptional, yet each means something different. Unexceptionable describes a thought, emotion, or action that is not open to objection. Unexceptional means it’s ordinary, just the usual. Word Confusions . . . . . . started as…

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Book Review: Kristen Painter's The Vampire's Sunny Sweetheart

Book Review: Kristen Painter’s The Vampire’s Sunny Sweetheart

Fourteenth in the Nocturne Falls magical realism series and revolving around a special town that celebrates Halloween all year long. The couple focus is on Sunni Wells and Ren Robillard. My Take Cute. Sunni likes to smell like happiness, and she sure doesn’t have a problem spending money with all the lotions and shampoos as well as those cute outfits. So, it doesn’t ring particularly true when…

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Book Review: Eileen Wilks' Blood Magic

Book Review: Eileen Wilks’ Blood Magic

Sixth in the World of the Lupi paranormal fantasy series and revolving around the lupi, werewolves. The couple focus is on Lily Yu and Rule Turner and individually on Cynna Weaver and Cullen Seabourne. It is set in San Diego in July/August, a mere seven months since the Turning. My Take It both cracks me up and impresses me that Rule is able to separate his dual roles and his son-parent…

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Word Confusion: Corollary versus Correlation

Word Confusion: Corollary versus Correlation

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Book Review: Eileen Wilks' Mortal Sins

Book Review: Eileen Wilks’ Mortal Sins

Fifth in the World of the Lupi paranormal fantasy series and revolving around the lupi, werewolves who have recently come out. The couple focus is on Agent Lily Yu and Rule Turner, the Nokolai “prince”. In 2010, Mortal Sins was nominated for the RITA Award by Romance Writers of America for Paranormal Romance. My Take Wilks does a nice job of showing us the wolf’s perspective on things — and Rule…

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Word Confusion: Definite versus Definitive

Word Confusion: Definite versus Definitive

Just two letters separate definite vs definitive, and these two words have fairly similar meanings. Both are defined as exact, except . . . Definite is exact and clear — in one’s own mind, e.g., “George has a definite belief that two and two are five”. O…k…a…y . . . Definitive is the most complete, satisfying all criteria, most authoritative, e.g., “although some critics found a few definite weak…

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Book Review: Kristen Painter's Moody and the Beast

Book Review: Kristen Painter’s Moody and the Beast

Fourth in the Shadowvale cozy paranormal romance series revolving around Shadowvale, which isn’t your typical small town America. The sun never shines, the gates decide who enters, magic abounds, and every resident bears some kind of curse. The couple focus is on Robin Gallow and Theodora “Moody” Middlebright. My Take It’s a dark tale Painter paints. A traitorous king in exile. A father who owes…

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Book Review: J.D. Robb's Reunion in Death

Book Review: J.D. Robb’s Reunion in Death

Fourteenth in the In Death futuristic, police procedural, and romantic suspense series revolving around Eve Dallas and her gorgeous husband, Roarke, in the New York City of summer 2059. In 2002, Reunion in Death won the Romance Readers Anonymous Award for Best Alternative Realities or Time Travel Romance. In 2003, it was nominated for the RITA Award by Romance Writers of America for Romantic…

[kathydavie]

Word Confusion: Bath versus Bathe

Word Confusion: Bath versus Bathe

I hadn’t expected this differentiation between bath versus bathe! Bath is a noun in American English while the verb form is bathe. In British English, bath is both noun and verb. Although, if a Brit plans to swim or pour liquid on something, it’s bathe. What can be confusing is that both bath and bathe share the same spelling in their past participle, gerund, and present participle forms. Hmm,…

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Book Review: J.D. Robb's Seduction in Death

Book Review: J.D. Robb’s Seduction in Death

Thirteenth in the In Death futuristic police procedural/romantic suspense series and revolving around Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her hunky husband, Roarke, in June 2059 New York City. She and Roarke have been married for a year now. In 1997, Seduction in Death won the South Carolina Book Award for Junior Book Award. In 1998, it won the Grand Canyon Reader Award for Teen Book. In 2001, it won the…

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Word Confusion: Taken Aback versus Taken Back

Word Confusion: Taken Aback versus Taken Back

But for an a . . . Taken back is the popular usage of taken aback, and it is so wrong! If you want to show your ignorance, use taken back to indicate surprise. Taken aback is an idiom indicating that something startled you enough that you jumped back in surprise, shocked, or left someone disconcerted or abashed. Taken back is a corruption of taken aback, but means to be returned, recovering…

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Book Review: Jeaniene Frost's Halfway to the Grave

Book Review: Jeaniene Frost’s Halfway to the Grave

First in the Night Huntress urban fantasy series and revolving around Cat Crawfield with Bones as a secondary character in Licking Falls, Ohio. After Halfway to the Grave, you may want to read The Other Half of the Grave, 1.1, as it gives Bones’ perspective on events in Halfway to the Grave. My Take It’s a story of betrayals, abuse, and prejudice with plenty of action — battle, sex, and…

[kathydavie]

Book Review: Ngaio Marsh's Enter a Murderer

Book Review: Ngaio Marsh’s Enter a Murderer

Second in the Inspector Roderick Alleyn historical mystery series with a Scotland Yard detective and set in the 1930s. My Take Oh, boy. Actors. That Arthur is such a spoiled, unsavory jerk who thinks he’s so entitled! It’s fascinating to go back in history and Marsh provides the flavor of the times as well as a taste of the theatre behind-the-scenes. It helps that Marsh is using third person…

[kathydavie]

Word Confusion: Interested versus Interesting

Word Confusion: Interested versus Interesting

This word confusion Interested versus Interesting both have interest (noun and a verb) as their root word. Interested is all about a person who has a feeling of wanting to learn more about something. Interesting describes the thing that makes someone feel interested. In other words, you feel interested in something because that thing is interesting. Word Confusions . . . . . . started as my way…

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Book Review: Ngaio Marsh's A Man Lay Dead

Book Review: Ngaio Marsh’s A Man Lay Dead

First in the Inspector Roderick Alleyn historical mystery series and revolving around a Scotland Yard chief detective inspector in the England of the 1930s. My Take Marsh introduces Alleyn and his future “accomplice”, Nigel Bathgate. Marsh uses third person global subjective point-of-view, as we experience events from the perspectives of a variety of characters. Nigel’s perspective is primary, as…

[kathydavie]

Word Confusion: Anhydrous versus Hygroscopic

Word Confusion: Anhydrous versus Hygroscopic

Anhydrous versus hygroscopic are the antithesis of each other. Anhydrous is a chemical compound without water molecules. Hygroscopic is a chemical compound composed of water molecules. Word Confusions . . . . . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It…

[kathydavie]

Book Review: R.J. Blain's Dirty Deeds 2

Book Review: R.J. Blain’s Dirty Deeds 2

An anthology of six stories in the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre in which the gloves are off and simply surviving might just be the dirtiest, most difficult deed of all. The Series “101 Ways to Die” (Magical Romantic Comedies, 15.5) “Putting the Chic in Psychic” (Everyday Disasters, 1.5) “Liz and Eli Sitting” (Jane Yellowrock, 13.2) “Oak and Ink” (Souls of the Road, ) “Heart Stings”…