Another day of lectures + Reading Observations

So yeah I'm still bored but today I will actually put some content in this post. *wink*

Last week I granted myself a pleasure re-read of Dirty by Megan Hart- I have to say I so adore this book, I remembered that but every time I re-read it I'm surprised about how much I love it.

Here's the blurb for you:

I met him at the candy store. He turned around and smiled at me and I was surprised enough to smile back. This was not a children's candy store, mind you -- this was the kind of place you went to buy expensive imported chocolate truffles for your boss's wife because you felt guilty for having sex with him when you were both at a conference in Milwaukee. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

I've been hit on plenty of times, mostly by men with little finesse who thought what was between their legs made up for what they lacked between their ears. Sometimes I went home with them anyway, just because it felt good to want and be wanted, even if it was mostly fake.

The problem with wanting is that it's like pouring water into a vase full of stones. It fills you up before you know it, leaving no room for anything else. I don't apologize for who I am or what I've done in -- or out -- of bed. I have my job, my house and my life, and for a long time I haven't wanted anything else.

Until Dan. Until now.


So last weekend I also read a Megan Hart novella I wanted to buy for quite some time now. I have to admit I never read blurbs of my auto-buy authors- I know it's crazy but I never want to spoil the story or get a false idea of what the books is about. So I didn't read it. So please take a look:

He loves her, or he loves her not.

There's only one way to find out— take a chance.

For most people, Arithmancy is no more than a jumble of numbers. For Somnus Keep instructor Elspeth Valerin, those numbers are her refuge, her passion. Her magic—her only magic since a painful incident from her past cripples her ability to unlock the inner power of the thrall.

Today her calculations indicate change is in the air. That’s not what she smells when she enters The Slaughtered Lamb, though. She smells ale. Smoke. And when she catches a glimpse of the owner of the Lamb, memories.

Tonight there’s a new face among the regulars in Connell Byrne’s pub. The woman he once loved with all his heart—before she left it in pieces. And one thing hasn’t changed: she is still clearly—inexplicably—afraid of him.

Elspeth’s heart is racing. That she and Conn are here at this moment means her numbers were right. Beyond this moment, though, is a fate she cannot comprehend. The one equation she’s never been able to calculate. The one outcome she cannot control—love.

This title has been previously published under the title Everything Counts.

Warning: Star-crossed lovers who need a little push to fully understand the phrase, “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” Explicit sex with enough steam to prove the Chaos Theory.

So all the non-hardcore Megan Hart fans will ask themselves "What's the problem with these 2 books?"

So I wouldn't say there is a problem but these books have some things in common:
- The heroine's name is Elspeth (Elle's real name as mentioned in Dirty) and they both have a counting disorder- they count to keep their mind occupied.
- There's a tragic incident in both heroine's past that nearly completely identical.
- The heroine is scared of commitment or better said of deep emotion- to bind herself to someone else.
- the bar in both novels is called "The Slaughtered Lamb"

But both books are also completely different: Tithed is a paranormal novella that only touches these rather complicated topics lightly in contrast to Dirty which puts a rather large focus on the characterization and emotional development of the relationship between or two protagonists.

I thought the two stories both handled the topic good in their own way. Tithed was a compact and light approach but still everything was balanced and the additional magical touch gave the story an extra charm.
Dirty is and will probably always be one of my favorites novels- it's hard to explain how much this story touched me emotionally. It's an intense book with characters that could easily jump of the pages.

I know that Tithed is a re-published work so perhaps it was the original Dirty. Not sure about that though.
I never noticed something like this before- the same storyline in two different settings and length.

Have you ever noticed something like this before?

What do you think: nice twist to a storyline or not your cup of tea?