Blogging by Liza

Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel

2012-01-29T09:18:00.000-06:00

Miss Hillary Schools aScoundrel is the debut release from Samantha Grace. I was lucky enough toget an early copy thanks to NetGalley. From the author’s website.~

HE'LL NEVER SETTLE FOR ONE WOMAN...

Debonair bachelor Lord Andrew Forest lives forpleasure and offers no apologies. But he receives a dose of his own medicinewhen his family's entrancing house guest beds him, then disappears without somuch as a by-your-leave. He'd like to teach the little vixen a thing or twoabout how to love and man...if he can find her..

AND SHE WON'T SETTLE FOR HEARTBREAK...

After the dashing man of her dreams is revealed as alying scoundrel, heiress Lana Hilary is ready to seek a match with arespectable gentleman-if only they weren't so dreadfully boring. Unable to reinin her bold nature for long, Lana flirts with trouble and finds herselfentangled with exactly the type of man she's vowed to avoid.

I’m a huge fan ofromances set in Regency England and really loved the main characters in Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel. Lanais such a strong woman, but she has ideas about how she wants to live her lifethat don’t fit with her time. She doesn’t care anything about finding ahusband. In fact she prefers to be a matchmaker for other couples. Of course,then she meets Lord Andrew Forest and finds herself attracted to him, eventhough he is a known scoundrel. Drew has never found himself so attracted to awoman that he couldn’t forget her, until he meets Lana.

Both Lana and Dreware both such fun and strong characters. I enjoyed getting to know theirfamilies as well. Of course, we can’t just get out happily ever after with noconflict, and the addition of another suitor, who Lana’s mother approves of,and a former lover of Drew’s help to keep things interesting. Drew and Lanafall in love with one another quickly, yet Drew doesn’t seem to be able to sayanything right when telling Lana about his feelings. The chemistry between themis sweet, playful, and hot at any given moment and neither seems to have thestrength to keep away from the other.

I was pulled into Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel fromthe very beginning of the story. I really loved Samantha Grace’s voice intelling this story and can’t wait to read more books from her in the future.According to Amazon, the release date is set for February 7, 2012 and I suggestbuying a copy to anyone who enjoys romance set in Regency England.

Head Over Heels

2012-01-24T19:03:00.001-06:00

Head Over Heels isthe 3^rd book in the Lucky Harbor series by Jill Shalvis. From theback cover.~

Breaking rules and breaking hearts

Free-spirited Chloelives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn’t readyto settle into a quiet life running their family’s newly renovated inn. But herlove of trouble-and trouble with love- quickly draws the attention of the verystern, very sexy sheriff who’d like nothing better than to tame her wild ways.

Suddenly Chloe can’ttake a misstep without the sheriff hot on her heels. His rugged swagger and hisenigmatic smile are enough to make a girl beg to be handcuffed. For the firsttime, instead of avoiding the law, Chloe dreams of surrender. Can this rebelfind a way to keep the peace with the straitlaced sheriff? Or will Chloe’scolorful past keep her from a love that lasts…and the safe haven she trulywants in a town called Lucky Harbor?

I love the Lucky Harbor series and especially love therelationship between the three sisters. Chloe is the youngest of the sistersand the wild child of the family. She has the wander-lust gene just like theirmom, but wants to prove to her sisters that she will stick around Lucky Harborfor the long haul. Chloe wants to set up a day spa at the family’s inn and mustfind a way to convince her sisters she has changed.

Enter the sexy sheriff, Sawyer and Chloe has someone she iswilling to change her wild child ways for. Of course, Chloe still has issueswith asthma and sex seems to trigger asthma attacks, so before Sawyer and Chloecan make love, she must test to see if he is inhaler worthy. Sawyer is totallyinhaler worthy and worthy of a whole lot more. The chemistry between Sawyer andChloe has been building since the first time they met. In fact, all her run-inswith the sheriff have really been foreplay for them. The first time out landsChloe in the emergency room with an asthma attack, but they soon figure out whatneeds to be done to make love. Shalvis gives her readers some super hot lovescenes between Chloe and Sawyer, for which I can only say thank you for writing“those kinds of books.”

While Ford is still my favorite of the heroes so far, I haveto say that Sawyer is totally on my book boyfriend list. He is yummy and willdo anything to take care of the people he loves. I loved watching the threehalf-sisters become real sisters over the course of this trilogy. While therelationships they cement with the men in their lives are fabulous, it was thesister’s relationship at the heart of this trilogy.

I’m a huge Jill Shalvis fan and she is always an auto-buyauthor for me. I love the town of Lucky Harbor and am so excited we will get 3more books in the series this year, starting with Lucky in Love in May 2012.

The Look of Love

2012-01-23T20:06:00.000-06:00

TheLook of Love is the 1^st book in the Sullivan family series by BellaAndre. From the author’s website.~

With THE LOOK OF LOVE bestselling authorBella Andre introduces you to a fun and emotional contemporary romance seriesabout the Sullivan family. Because when a Sullivan bad boy falls...he fallshard. And it's forever.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really badnight. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skidsoff the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she’s convinced eventhe gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be toogood to be true. Or is he?

As a successful photographer who frequentlytravels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, andwhenever he’s home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually upfor causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as itis—until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the roadin Napa Valley. Not only has he never met anyone so lovely, both inside andout, but he quickly realizes she has much bigger problems than her damaged car.Soon, he is willing to move mountains to love—and protect—her, but will she lethim?

Chloe vows never to make the mistake of trusting aman again. Only, with every loving look Chase gives her—and every sinfullysweet caress—as the attraction between them sparks and sizzles, she can’t helpbut wonder if she’s met the only exception. And although Chase didn’t realizehis life was going to change forever in an instant, amazingly, he isn’t theleast bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he’s gearing up for adifferent fight altogether…for Chloe’s heart.

I actually started with Gabe’s book (book 3) and went backto read the first 2 books in the series after I totally fell in love with Gabeand all of the Sullivan family members. I loved how sweet Chase was with Chloefrom the moment they first met. He could tell she had a run in with someonebefore he rescued her from a wreck on a rainy night. Yet he also knows he wantsto do everything in his power to protect her and even find a way to make herhis.

Chloe has little desire to ever trust another man after whatshe went through with her ex-husband. However, she is just as attracted toChase as he is to her. His tenderness and caring help her to start falling forhim, and even begin to trust him. The fact that they can’t stay away from eachother only makes it easier for each to fall for one another. Chase knows andadmits his feelings for Chloe very early on, and is willing to wait for her totrust and love him completely.

I love the entire Sullivan clan and loved seeing how Chase’sfamily totally accepted Chloe as a part of his life. Up next is for theSullivan clan is From This Moment On,which is oldest brother Marcus Sullivan’s story.

The Sweetest Thing

2012-01-18T01:00:00.000-06:00

The Sweetest Thing is 2^nd book in the Lucky Harbor series by JillShalvis. From the back cover.~

Two Men Are One Too Many . . .

Tara has a thousand good reasons not to return tothe little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington. Yet with her life doing amajor crash-and-burn, anywhere away from her unfulfilled dreams and sexy ex-husbandwill do. As Tara helps her two sisters get their newly renovated inn up andrunning, she finally has a chance to get things under control and come up witha new plan for her life.

But a certain tanned, green-eyed sailor has hisown ideas, such as keeping Tara hot, bothered . . . and in his bed. And whenher ex wants Tara back, three is a crowd she can't control-especially when her deepest secret reappears outof the blue. Now Tara must confront her past and discover what she reallywants. If she's lucky, she might just find that everything her heart desires isright here in Lucky Harbor.

I’llsay right now, if you haven’t read SimplyIrresistible, much of my post will reveal spoilers about Tara and her past.I loved the first book in the Lucky Harbor series, but loved The Sweetest Thing even more. Tara was the hardest sister to like at firstin Simply Irresistible, but as we gotto know about her past, I came to like and even understand why she is the wayshe is.

Iloved reading Tara and Ford’s story. I have to say I loved Tara and Ford’sstory best of the ones I’ve read so far. I love the history they had together,even if things weren’t great for them for many years. Tara has always hadissues with trust, and after what happened to her as a teen, she has evenbigger trust issues when it comes to Ford. Ford has loved Tara since they wereteenagers. No amount of time or distance has really changed his feelings. Yeshe moved on and lived his life, but he still had feelings for Tara the entiretime. Ford has an uphill battle to win Tara back and keep her in his life.First her ex-husband Logan shows up wanting her back. Then the daughter theygave up for adoption when they were teens shows up at the Inn wanting to meether biological parents. The biggest point in his favor is the fact that Tara isstill attracted to Ford, even if she isn’t ready to trust him yet.

Iloved watching Tara and Ford fall in love all over again. There really was asweetness about it, yet the sweetness took nothing away from the chemistrybetween them. I’ve come to expect pretty hot love scenes from Jill Shalvis, andshe delivers over and over again with Tara and Ford. Seriously thought myKindle might just melt from the heat. I’ve loved so many of the heroes fromJill’s books in the past, but have to say that Ford might just be my favoritefrom this series.

Ialso really enjoyed the story between Mia, the daughter they gave up foradoption as teens, and Tara and Ford. There wasn’t an instant bond just becausethey were biologically related. Mia had questions and even some anger until shegot to know her parents. I really hope Mia will get her own Lucky Harbor storyat some point in the future.

Chloe’sbook, Head Over Heels is the nextrelease in the Lucky Harbor series and I’ll post my review of it in the nextfew days. I’m a huge Jill Shalvis fan and can’t wait for the 3 new books fromthe Lucky Harbor series that are coming out later this year.

The Night is Mine

2012-01-15T13:29:00.000-06:00

The Night is Mine is the 1^st book in a new seriesby author M.L. Buchman. From Goodreads’ website.~

First in athrilling military romantic suspense series based on the real-life elitehelicopter pilots who transport Navy SEALs and Delta Force teams in and out ofcombat and covert missions. (SOAR are the heroes of Black Hawk Down.)

Buchman’s heroine flies the most dangerousmilitary ops and tries to find the one man who can be a hero in her own life.Ace-pilot Captain Emily Beale goes undercover as bodyguard to the First Lady,with her rugged commander, Major Mark Henderson, who is determined to cover herback. Can she learn to keep her desire at bay before her covert missionimplodes?

NAME: Emily Beale
RANK: Captain
MISSION: Fly undercover to prevent the assassination of the First Lady, posingas her executive pilot.

NAME: Mark Henderson,code name Viper
RANK: Major
MISSION: Undercover role of wealthy, ex-mercenary boyfriend to Emily

Their jobs are high risk,high reward:

Protect the lives of thepowerful and the elite at all cost. Neither expected that one kiss coulddistract them from their mission. But as the passion mounts between them, theirlives and their hearts will both be risked...and the reward this time may wellbe worth it.

The Night is Mineis the first book I’ve read by M.L. Buchman and I was lucky enough to get anearly copy from NetGalley. I’m a big fan of military romances and I reallyloved both the main characters from this book. Emily is totally kick-ass as ahelicopter pilot. She is even described over and over in the book as the bestthere is. Mark Henderson is her commanding officer, yet they are attracted toone another. Of course, it would be against the rules for them to act on theirattraction and both stick to the rules until Emily is reassigned to a topsecret mission. Mark gives into his feelings and kisses Emily before she shipsout. Emily isn’t one to take crap from anyone in the military, including herCO, and she gets really pissed at Mark and what his kiss could do to both theircareers.

Emily’s secret mission is soon revealed to be the personal chefand helicopter pilot to the First Lady. Not really a job anyone could turndown, but Emily really can’t turn down the Commander-in-Chief since they havebeen friends pretty much her entire life (Peter also was her very first crush).Someone has been making attempts on the First Lady’s life and the Presidentneeds Emily to not only protect his wife, but try and figure out who is behind theattacks. The First Lady is a total tool. She is probably one of the leastlikable characters I’ve ever read. She is cheating on her husband, is rude toher staff, and is a royal bitch. Not that any of that matters once Emily acceptsher newest assignment.

When Emily is injured in a helicopter crash, Mark comesrunning and ends up going undercover as her boyfriend to help her figure outwhat is going on. Emily and Mark work in perfect sync as investigators, just asthe fly in perfect sync. There is wonderful sexual tension between them fromthe beginning, and when they finally give into their feelings, they are hot andbeautiful together.

I read a good number of mysteries, so I figured out prettyearly in who was involved with the attempts on the First Lady’s life. Didn’ttake anything away from the story for me to know early on. The romance betweenEmily and Mark was so beautiful, I needed to keep reading to see how or if theycould find a way to make things work.

I enjoyed The Night isMine and look forward to more books in this series in the future. M.L.Buchman writes characters that evoke strong feeling from the readers. Theactual release date for The Night is Mineis set for February 1, 2012.

Destiny Winner!!!

2012-01-08T07:56:00.002-06:00

Random.org picked comment #10, so my winner is Kat! Congrats and I hope you enjoy Destiny as much as I did. I'll be contacting you by email this morning.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and entered my giveaway!

Destiny

2012-01-02T17:30:00.000-06:00

Destiny is the 2^ndbook in Carly Phillips’ fabulous Serendipity series. From the author’swebsite.~

Nash Barron may be cynical about love, yet even he likes a goodwedding. But the only good thing about his brother’s wedding is Kelly Moss.Nash can’t help but admire her confidence and beauty, but he’s forced to keephis distance because getting involved with Kelly could destroy his relationshipwith his newly discovered half sister, Tess…

Kelly came to Serendipity to give Tess–her half sibling as well,thanks to an illicit affair–a second chance at life. She learned long ago notto rely on anyone but herself. Besides, she doesn’t want to upset Tess’s lifeby pushing for a fling with Nash. Except the more she gets to know him, themore vulnerable she becomes to the kindness beneath his gruff exterior, and theless she’s able to stay away. But she has other reasons for keeping herdistance. Like the secret from her past she knows Nash will never forgive…

I have said many times that Serendipity is my favorite contemporary romance of the year. Iloved Ethan and Faith so much. That being said, I loved Destiny even more. I know many people had a problem with Nash in Serendipity because he wasn’t ready toforgive Ethan. I admit, I called both Nash and Dare buttheads in the beginningof Serendipity. However, I could seewhere Nash was coming from, so I was excited to see Destiny was Nash’s story.

I wanted to know more about Nash so I could betterunderstand him. I already understood his looking at things in black or white,as I see many things that same way. Nash also has issues with abandonmentthanks to Ethan up and leaving them after their parents death, Dare beingplaced in a separate foster home, and his marriage to high school sweetheartApril ending in divorce. Honestly, Nash is put through the ringer in Destiny. I think it makes him a betterman, brother, lover, and future husband, but it was gut-wrenching to read someof the things he has to go through.

Kelly is very similar to Nash with her black and whitethoughts on morals. She was raised by a woman who cheated with married men andabandoned her youngest child to find her next meal ticket. Kelly has just comeback into Tess’s life after leaving her with her brothers to raise. She hasevery right to be concerned about how getting involved with Nash might effecther future relationship with her sister. Nash has the same concern about Tess,especially since Tess is Ethan’s biggest cheerleader and she already has aproblem that Nash still has issues with Ethan.

However, neither Nash nor Kelly can deny their attractionfor one another and their chemistry is off the charts from the very beginning.Their journey isn’t really an easy one for either of them. Nash has to finallydeal with his abandonment issues with Ethan and the secret Dare has kept fromhim since they were kids. I did like that Ethan stood up to Nash about leavingthem behind. Nash finally saw Ethan had lived with the guilt he felt from theirparents dying on the way to pick Ethan up from jail. Nash and Ethan took a bigstep in the direction of being brothers again. Dare’s secret coming to lifemade me bawl my eyes out. Nash being Nash, took a bit to come to terms with notonly why Dare kept a secret but what the secret actually was. It just broke myheart to see the wall go up between the two brothers who had been so close fortheir entire lives.

Of course, when Nash has his world crumbling all aroundhim, Kelly realizes she needs to tell Nash a secret from her past. Life and hermother get in the way and Nash finds out Kelly’s secret before she can tell himthe whole truth. Again, so sad for Kelly and Nash. Both characters really werekicked in the teeth a few times in this book. I have to say I think both Kellyand Nash are stronger for all they each had thrown their way on their path tolove.

We got to spend more time with several of the supportingcharacters from the town of Serendipity. I love April, who is Nash’s ex-wifeand Kelly’s new best friend. She is such a strong woman and finally saw herselfthat way following her diagnosis of MS. Divorcing Nash, who was her best friendall through high school couldn’t have been easy, especially when she knew shewould have MS episodes for the rest of her life. However, that diagnosis waswhat it took for her to realize she wanted more out of life. Joe, who runs thelocal bar in Serendipity has been attracted to April since high school. Sincehe is a natural care giver, April holds off going out with him for a long timefollowing her divorce. She finally steps out of her comfort zone and agrees togo out with Joe when she sees Nash has real feelings for Kelly. April evenaccepts Joe’s help when she has a MS flair-up and still goes out with him onceshe feels better. I loved April from the minute we met her and was glad to seeher find someone to love and someone who loved her back.

Destiny is myfavorite book I've read ever by Carly Phillips. I loved seeing Nash change ashis and Kelly's story progressed. As much as I loved Serendipity, I loved Destinyeven more! In my opinion, the Serendipity series is the best series ever byCarly Phillips. Karma, the third bookin the Serendipity series, is Dare’s book and set for release in May 2012.

The official release date for Destiny is January 3, 2012. To celebrate the release of Destiny, I’m giving away 1 digital copyof Destiny in either Kindle or Nookformat. All comments will be entered into the drawing. Please list in thecomment if you prefer Kindle or Nook format and your email address if notlisted in your profile. I’ll post the winner on my blog on January 8 andcontact the winner by email. Winner will have 3 days to claim the prize or anew winner will be drawn.

One More Summer

2012-01-01T19:09:00.000-06:00

One More Summer isthe newest release from Liz Flaherty and Carina Press. From the author’swebsite.~

Grace has taken care of her widowed father her entireadult life and the ornery old goat has finally died. She has no job, no skillsand very little money, and has heard her father's prediction that no decent manwould ever want her so often she accepts it as fact.

But she does havea big old house on Lawyers Row in Peacock, Tennessee. She opens a rooming houseand quickly gathers a motley crew of tenants: Promise, Grace's best friendsince kindergarten, who's fighting cancer; Maxie, an aging soap opera actresswho hasn't lost her flair for the dramatic; Jonah, a sweet, gullible old manwith a crush on Maxie.

And Dillon, Grace's brother's best friend, who stoodher up on the night of her senior prom and has regretted it ever since. Dillonrents Grace's guest house for the summer and hopes to make up for lost time andpast hurts—but first, he'll have to convince Grace that she's worth loving...

This is the firstbook I’ve read by Liz Flaherty and I was able to get an early copy of One More Summer from NetGalley. I reallyliked the characters from this book. I especially loved Grace and her bestfriend Promise. They each would do anything for the other, including keepingsecrets and protecting one another. I liked Grace’s siblings Steven and Faithas well, and loved seeing the siblings grow closer as the book progressed.Dillon was a bit of a surprise to me, but I soon saw he only wanted to protectand get to know Grace as an adult.

One More Summer threwout some major surprises as the love story between Grace and Dillon progressed.I’ll admit one secret Grace had been keeping didn’t totally shock me, but stillsurprised me that she finally opened up and shared her secret. Grace’s fatherwas such a total jerk with his youngest child that she has never really trustedanyone but Promise with her true feelings, not even her brother and sister.Dillon has a few secrets of his own from his past that make it hard for Graceto believe he really loves her.

With each secret thatis brought to light, Grace becomes a much stronger woman. Grace was alwaysstrong, but her new strength comes from finally accepting help and love fromall her family and friends. Her strength is tested as it quickly becomesapparent that Promise has little chance of surviving her cancer.

One More Summer was Grace’s story from start to finish. I thought itwas a good story, but did think she had a bit more on her than any one personshould ever have to deal with. Overall, I liked the author’s writing style andwill look for other books from her in the future. One More Summer is set for release from Carina Press on January 2,2012.

Favorite Books read in 2011

2011-12-31T03:00:00.000-06:00

I’ve read over 100 books this year and have found someamazing new-to-me authors this year. Many of the books on my list are by someof my must-read authors. About half of the books on the list are either fromnew-to-me authors or debut authors. I have to thank so many of my twitter peeps and blog friends for helping me find some of my new favorite books/series.

1. Serendipity by Carly Phillips is not only my favorite contemporary romance I read this year, but my favorite book I read all year. In fact, the entire Serendipity series might be my favorite series of books ever by Carly.

2. Cold Touch by Leslie Parrish is my favorite Leslie Parrish book ever. Might even be my favorite book written by Leslie as either Leslie Parrish or Leslie Kelly.

3. Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison is my favorite book by a new-to-me author. Love the entire Elder Race series so far.

4. Night After Night by Janelle Denison is my favorite book written by Janelle ever!

5. The Heart of a Killer by Jaci Burton is her first romantic suspense and she totally rocked it.

6. Because of You by Jessica Scott is her debut novel and I can't wait to read more books from Jessica in the future.

7. The Sweetest Thing by Jill Shalvis is my favorite in her Lucky Harbor series and my favorite of her books I read this year.

8. The Legendary Lovers series (loved all 3,but Danny is my favorite brother) by Julie Leto is one of Julie's best series ever.

9. First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones was a find thanks to twitter. So glad I found this book and series.

10. The Renfield Syndrome by JA Saare feeds my Disco love. I met Jamie at the Lori Foster get together in June and only acted a little fan-girl.

11. Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl is the 3rd book in her Donavan Brothers Brewery series and my favorite of her books I've read so far.

12. Sweet Tea & Secrets by Nancy Naigle is the 1st book in her Adams Grove series. I met Nancy at Lori's event in June and bought her book that weekend. Loved this book.

13. Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey and all the other Kowalski books. Really hoping we get more Kowalski books in the future.

14. One Dance With a Duke by Tessa Dare is my favorite historical romance I read this year. I've loved every book of hers I've read.

15. New York to Dallas by JD Robb is the latest book in the In Death series and was gut-wrenching, but wonderful.

16. Spider’s Revenge by Jennifer Estep is the 5th book in the Elemental Assassin series and was my favorite of the series so far. I've listened to this entire series and can't wait for the next book in this series.

17. Can’t Help Falling In Love by Bella Andre is the 3rd book in her Sullivan series. Loved me some Gabe so much. Already plan on going back and reading the first 2 in the series.

18. Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh is the 1st book in her Psy/Changeling series. I found this series with about 10 other books to follow. Was lucky enough to meet Nalini at Lori's event in June.

19. Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter is the 2nd in her Heist Society series and just as wonderful as the 1st book in the series. My favorite series from Ally is her Gallagher Girl series. Out of Sight, Out of Time is set for release on March 13, 2012.

20. Sin Undone by Larissa Ione is the 5th book in her Demonica series and was so awesome. Loved Sin so much.

Xavier's Loving Arms

2011-12-29T20:20:00.000-06:00

Xavier’s LovingArms is thelatest release from author KT Grant. From the author’s website.~

Synopsis: Xavier Marks has the looks, great job,and more than enough money to throw around. The only thing missing is a womanby his side. He hasn’t had much luck in love since he caught his fiancéecheating on him, and isn’t too happy about his current bachelor status. Butthat may all change when a cute barista from a coffee shop catches his eye.Perhaps she can help him lick his wounds?

Life hasn’t always been too kind to Rebecca Price.With a grandmother suffering from dementia, and the threat of foreclosure onher childhood home, she may have no choice but to turn to a possessiveex-boyfriend who won’t settle for anything less than marriage. She hides ashameful secret that still threatens to destroy her. She’s ready to give up allhope when a suave, yet seemingly kind-hearted man enters her life and comes toher rescue.

Rebecca is wary of placing her trust in Xavier,who wants to be more than a shoulder for her to lean on. But as the two growclose, Rebecca’s guilt over her past discretions continue to haunt her. Xavierwants to show Rebecca that the one place she can feel whole and at peace is inhis loving arms.

I’ve wanted more of Xavier’s since he first appeared in The Claiming of Suzy, and the author waskind enough to send me a copy of Xavier’sLoving Arms for review. Xavier stole a little bit of my heart from themoment I met him. I like that he didn’t seem to judge others based on theirappearances, but on their actions. Xavier hasn’t been very lucky in love in thepast. First he catches his fiancée with another man and just when he thinksthings will work out with Suzy, she falls for someone else.

Xavier is attracted to Rebecca from the moment he meets herin the coffee shop across from his office. Rebecca has had a very rough timesince her father’s death three years before. She is barely hanging onfinancially and still has to deal with her ex-boyfriend Devdan, who will onlyhelp her out of her financial mess if she marries him. Becca at first comparesXavier just a bit to Devdan, since they both have family money. However, Xaviersoon proves he is nothing like Devdan. Devdan is a real ass in this book. In fact, I couldn't figure out what Becca could have possibly ever see in Devdan. Becca is attracted to Xavier, but fightsher attraction to him at first. As I’ve come to expect from KT Grant, Xavierand Becca are super hot together once they finally give in to their attraction.In fact, each time they make love, they are some of the steamiest scenes I’ve read.

Becca trust Xavier with her body before she gives her totaltrust to him. Once she begins to trust him, she shares the fact that she isrecovering from an eating disorder. Becca still struggles with eating threeyears after she was released from in-patient treatment. The stress to herfinances, her grandmother’s health, and Devdan’s actions make it hard for herto be able to eat right, or actually keep food down. Xavier will do pretty muchanything to take care of Becca and support her in any way possible.

Xavier is such a great character. He is very strong and onlywants to find someone to share his life with. Becca is also a strong character,but doesn’t realize how strong she is until she has someone to help her moveforward in her life. I liked that we were able to see someone who wasrecovering from an eating disorder move to a successful life. Never havingsuffered from one, it helped me to understand that it is something theindividual always has in the back of their mind.

I enjoyed Xavier’sLoving Arms and look forward to reading more stories in the future from KTGrant. The official release date is December 30, but I've seen it available for order on a few sites already. I’m really hoping to get stories about some of Becca’s friends and evenDevdan at some point.

Exclusively Yours

2011-12-27T18:29:00.000-06:00

Exclusively Yours is the 1^stbook in the Kowalski series by Shannon Stacey. Originally released from CarinaPress in digital format, the paperback release is set for release on December27 from Harlequin (HQN line). From theauthor’s website. ~

When Keri Daniels’editor finds out she has previous carnal knowledge of reclusive bestsellingauthor Joe Kowalski, she gives Keri a choice: get an interview or get a newjob.

Joe’s never forgottenthe first girl to break his heart, so he’s intrigued to hear Keri’s back intown—and looking for him. Despite his intense need for privacy, he’ll grantKeri an interview if it means a chance to finish what they started in highschool.

He proposes anoutrageous plan—for every day she survives with his family on their annualcamping and four-wheeling trip, Keri can ask one question. Keri agrees; she’sworked too hard to walk away from her career.

But the chemistrybetween them is still as potent as the bug spray, Joe’s sister is out to avengehis broken heart and Keri hasn’t ridden an ATV since she was ten. Who knew alittle blackmail, a whole lot of family and some sizzling romantic interludescould make Keri reconsider the old dream of Keri & Joe2gether 4ever.

I first read Exclusively Yourswhen it was released from Carina Press. When I saw the paperback version wasbeing released from HQN, I couldn’t wait to add this book to my keeper shelf.With the help of NetGalley, I obtained an early copy and loved it every bit asmuch when I read it the second time as I did the first time.

Iloved both Joe and Keri and it was fun to watch all they had to go through toget back together. I'm a big fan of reunion stories, even with those beingreunited aren't excited about it at first. Joe and Keri’s reunion, although noteither of their ideas, helps them both to find what had been missing from theirlives. Since neither one had ever forgotten anything about the other, it wasfun watching them fall in love all over again. The smexy chemistry between themis really off the charts too.

Joe'sfamily totally cracked me up. Between the pranks and just being the Kowalski’s,they all made me want to be a Kowalski too. I absolutely love the entire Kowalskifamily and can't wait to add both UndeniablyYours in February 2012 and Yours toKeep in March 2012 to my keeper shelf. I admit I’ve asked..okaybegged Shannon for more Kowalski stories. Really hoping we get to read allabout the rest of the Kowalski cousins in the future.

Can't Help Falling In Love

2011-12-26T11:01:00.000-06:00

Can’t Help Falling In Love is the third book inBella Andre’s Sullivan series. From the author’s website.~

Get ready foranother Sullivan bad boy to fall in love in the third book of Bella Andre'sbestselling contemporary romance series!

GabeSullivan risks his life every day as a firefighter in San Francisco. But afterlearning a brutal lesson about professional boundaries, he knows better than torisk his heart to his fire victims ever again. Especially the brave mother anddaughter he saved from a deadly apartment fire...and can't stop thinking about.

MeganHarris knows she owes the heroic firefighter everything for running into aburning building to save her and her seven-year-old daughter. Everything excepther heart. Because after losing her navy pilot husband five years ago, she hasvowed to never suffer through loving - and losing - a man with a dangerous jobagain.

Only,when Gabe and Megan meet again and uncontrollable flames of desire ignitebetween them, how can he possibly ignore her courage, determination, andbeauty? And how can she deny not only his strong bond with her daughter, butthe way his sweetly sensual kisses are challenging her to risk everything she'sbeen guarding for so long?

Thiswinter, if one - or both - of them aren't careful, they just might end upfalling in love.

I was sent a copy of Can’t Help Falling In Love from theauthor. I actually have the first 2 books in the series on my kindle in my TBRfolder, but hadn’t read them yet. I absolutely loved Can’t Help Falling In Love! Both Gabe and Megan are such strongcharacters, yet they have each had a bad experience with relationships in thepast. Megan lost her husband to a horrible accident and Gabe had a relationshipturn sour with a woman he had rescued in a fire. Gabe swears never to dateanother fire victim and Megan swears never to get involved with someone in adangerous job again.

After Gabe saves Megan and herdaughter Summer from their burning apartment building, Megan and Summer come tothe hospital to thank him. Both Megan and Gabe are attracted to each other fromthe moment they meet in the hospital, yet the promises they made to themselvesare always in the front of each of their minds. Of course, both promises go outthe window because of the explosive attraction between them. Megan’s daughterSummer makes it her goal to get her mom and Gabe together at every possiblemoment. Each time Megan and Gabe are alone together, neither can seem to keeptheir hands off of the other. They are so hot together, I really thought myNook might start sizzling as I was reading. Gabe and Megan have some of thesexiest scenes together and yet there is still a sweetness to them as well, asI could see both falling for one another.

Gabe is able to move past hispast experience much faster than Megan. He figures out very quickly he is inlove with her and is willing to take things slow to have Megan and Summer inhis life. Megan is such a strong woman, but had been burned so badly in thepast, she had such fear of a real relationship with Gabe. Megan knows in herheart she loves Gabe, yet must get her head to see clearly before she too canadmit her feelings.

I usually don’t read books in aseries out of order, but felt like Can’tHelp Falling In Love reads as a stand alone title well. I really loved spending time withthe Sullivan family and can’t wait to read the rest of the family’s stories. Iplan on going back and reading the first two books in the series as soon aspossible, and really can’t wait for Sophie’s story to be released in February2012.

Desired

2011-12-13T20:41:00.000-06:00

Desired is thelatest release in The Scandalous Women of the Ton series by Nicola Cornick.From the back cover.~

Her wicked ways were the talk of the ton

Teresa, Dowager Marchioness of Darent, is rumoredto have exhausted her four deceased husbands with her insatiable needs. So it'sno surprise that every rake in the ton wants to bed her. If they onlyknew…through clever marriages to men who would ask nothing of her physicalself, Tessa has remained rather innocent in the ways of the bedroom. But now she'son the verge of losing everything and wants to take care of the stepson she'sgrown to adore.

Enter Captain Owen Purchase. The handsome Americanadventurer has come into the title of Viscount Rothbury. And the rumorssurrounding his injuries at sea suggest that he could fit Tessa's requirements.But little does Tessa realize that the gossipmongers are wrong. She just mightlose her heart, and her desires, to the most unlikely of men…

Desired is thefirst book I’ve read by Nicola Cornick, but won’t be my last. I was luckyenough to get an early copy from NetGalley. I usually don’t read books in aseries out of order, but when I read about Desired,I knew I had to break my own rule. Personally, I think it stands alone prettywell, but I do see myself reading the other books in the series in the future,so I can learn more about each of the couples.

I liked thecharacters in Desired very much,especially Tess and Owen, and I loved Owen called Tess by Teresa rather thanher nickname. Tess had never loved any of her other husbands, and after hersecond husband’s abuse, she never had an intimate relationship with anotherhusband. In fact, when she marries, she searches for men incapable of anintimate relationship. In fact, Tess picks Owen because she needs to make surehe can’t give evidence about her connections to the Jupiter club, and she’sheard he can’t have marital relations. Owen also is aware that Teresa needs hisprotections about the Jupiter club, but really hopes she will come clean withhim about her involvement. However, her intel is a little bit off when it comesto Owen, who she discovers on their wedding night he is not only willing, butable to have an intimate relationship.

Owen thoughtTeresa might have had a bad experience with a man in her past, but it is onlyafter they spend more time together and she starts to trust Owen does he findout the whole truth. Teresa has been attracted to Owen from almost their firstmeeting. Owen decides they will take things slow, until Teresa finally admits shewants him. Owen is so tender with her and it was just as sexy to see thetenderness as their later more intense moments. It is obvious to everyone thatOwen and Teresa have fallen in love with one another. There are still sometrust issues between them, but each soon has no trouble admitting their realfeeling for one another.

Desired was released on December 1 and can befound at your favorite bookstore or online retailer. The 6^th book inthe series, Forbidden, is set forrelease in 2012.

Simply Irresistible

2011-12-11T12:38:00.001-06:00

Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis isthe 1^st book in her new Lucky Harbor series. From the back cover.~

Maddie Moore's whole life needs amakeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (herdecision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bagsof potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by herfree-spirited mother-a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town ofLucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees thepotential for a new home and a new career-if only she can convince her twohalf-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe willbe difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-hairedhottie whose eyes-and mouth-are making it hard for her to remember that she'ssworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past,though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home thanLucky Harbor.

I’m a huge fan of Jill Shalvis. I visit her blog everysingle day and buy her books the day they come out. In fact, many times I buyboth the print and digital copies of Jill’s books. I really loved Simply Irresistible and think it was agreat start for the new series.

Maddie, Tara, and Chloe are so different from one another,it was so much fun watching them learn to be sisters. Since the 3 sisters allhave different fathers and weren’t raised together, it takes longer than Maddiereally wants for them to start acting like a family. I’m the middle child, so Itotally got Maddie’s tendencies to be the peacemaker (although I have an oldersister and younger brother, so a little different) of the group. Maddie is alsoknown as “the mouse” of the 3 sisters. However, something about Lucky Harbor makes her strong.

Part of her strength comes from being with her sisters andpart comes from within her. However, meeting Jax Cullen seems to help herbecome stronger. Maddie is attracted to Jax from the moment she sees him.However, she has sworn off all men because of the last guy she dated. Jax wantsMaddie from their very first meeting and soon recognizes Maddie has suffered inthe past and starts off slow with her. As long as slow is bone-melting kissesthat make Maddie forget her name.

The chemistry between Jax and Maddie is off the charts. It’salmost like no one else is in the room when they are together. Even with allthe work Jax and Maddie need to do to the inn to help get it up and running,neither seems to be able to keep their hands off the other. I loved watchingMaddie fall for Jax. Jax was pretty open about his feelings from the first. Ireally think Maddie needed to feel like she had a family and home before shewas secure enough in herself to admit her feelings for Jax.

I also loved the chemistry between the sisters. They reallyare pretty much strangers when they all show up at the inn. However, as theyfight, share meals, work on the inn, and even all share one bed, they go fromstrangers to sisters. They are sisters, so there will always be fights, but thefights become more picking on each other as only siblings can do.

I really loved SimplyIrresistible and have already read and loved The Sweetest Thing, which is the 2^nd book in the LuckyHarbor series (blog post to come very soon). Up next for me is Head Over Heels, which is the 3^rdbook in the series. Jill announced on her blog recently that we will get 3 moreLucky Harbor books in 2012 and I can’t wait to read each of them.

Hidden Summit

2011-12-07T21:31:00.000-06:00

HiddenSummit is the newest release fromRobyn Carr’s wonderful Virgin River series. From the author’s website.~

Sick ofrunning into her cheery ex-husband and his new wife, Leslie Petruso accepts ajob at the Virgin River branch of Haggerty Construction and takes the high roadright out of town. Now she's got Paul Haggerty's business running like awell-oiled machine. In fact, things are so busy Paul jumps at the chance tohire an extra set of hands.

Just like Leslie, Conner Danson has been burned by love. But ifLeslie was disappointed by her relationship going bad, Conner was decimated.He's got no time for women…although he spends an awful lot of time pretendingnot to notice Leslie. And she's pretty busy "ignoring" the chemistrybetween them.

According to Conner and Leslie, they have only one thing incommon—they're done with love. But everyone in Virgin River can see that thingsare heating up at Haggerty Construction. And as far as Paul Haggerty can tell,the best thing he can do is hang on to his hard hat and watch the sparks fly!

I love each and every visit to Virgin River. I get to see somany of my favorite characters from past books and we always get to meet someonenew. Leslie and Conner are the newest residents to Virgin River. Conner is inVirgin River waiting to go home to testify against a murderer. Leslie is inVirgin River trying to get away from her ex-husband who thinks they shouldstill be friends, even though he cheated on her and is now re-married with ababy on the way.

Conner was told not to start up any relationships while inhiding, and since he has trust issues when it comes to women, he didn’t expectit to come into play. However, he is attracted to Leslie from the first time hesees her, and Leslie seems to be just as attracted to Conner. Conner and Leslietake things slow for a while, but soon can’t keep their hands off one another.

Of course Leslie’s ex keeps showing up in town and Connerstill has to go back home to testify as the only eye witness, but Leslie and Conner both know they have finallyfound the one. Conner knows he has to share the truth about his past withLeslie before he has to leave town to testify, and Leslie keeps his secret forhim. Leslie and Conner have the full support from everyone in Virgin River assoon as they move to town. I love how welcoming everyone in Virgin River is tonew people.

Robyn Carr gives her readers another winner with Hidden Summit. Once again, we will get 3books from the Virgin River series starting with Hidden Summit on December 27, 2011. Redwood Bend is set for release in March 2012 followed by Sunrise Point in May 2012.

Because of You

2011-12-05T20:18:00.001-06:00

Because of You isthe debut novel my author Jessica Scott, and the first book in her Coming Home series. From the author’s website.~

Keeping his men alive is all that matters toSergeant First Class Shane Garrison. But meeting Jen St. James the night beforehis latest deployment makes Shane wonder if there's more to life than war. Heleaves for Iraq remembering a single kiss with a woman he'll never see again-until a near fatal attack lands him back at home and in her care.

Jen has survived her own brush with death andendured its scars. And yet there's a fire in Shane that makes Jen forget allabout her past. He may be her patient, but when this warrior looks her in theeyes, she feels - for the first time in a long time - like a woman. Shane istoo proud to ask for help, but for Jen, caring for him is more than a duty-it's a need. And as Jen guides Shane through the fires of healing, she findssomething she never expected - her deepest desire.

I lovefinding both new authors and new-to-me authors. I’ve talked to Jessica Scott ontwitter for a while and even got to meet her at RWA in Orlando in 2010 (raninto her at a book signing while in line together). When Jessica announced her book would be releasedin the revived Loveswept line, I knew I had to read this story. I pre-ordered Because of You for my kindle as soon asthere was a release date.

Iabsolutely loved Because of You! BothJen and Shane are such strong characters. Jen is a breast cancer survivor whofinally starts to feel like a woman again after meeting and kissing Shane.Shane has always put his men first, even about himself. He meets Jen the daybefore he and his men are scheduled to deploy to Iraq. They share one amazingkiss, that neither one is able to forget the other once Shane is deployed.

WhenShane is injured and sent home, Jen is one of the nurses who care for himdaily (FYI, sexiest catheter removal scene I've ever read). The attraction is still there after all this time, and only grows asthey spend day after day together. Shane is one of those super strong men who don’tlike to rely on anyone. However, his injuries leave him no choice, and Jen ismore than happy to care for him.

Jen findherself getting stronger each day as she cares for Shane. She also starts tofeel like a woman again for the first time since she first lost a breast tocancer. In fact, her battle helps her be able to help Shane move forward withhis recovery. The attraction between Shane and Jen just gets stronger with eachpassing day, and they were so hot together when they finally gave into theirattraction.

JessicaScott has an amazing voice and made it easy for me to feel both the pain andthe joy from her characters. I loved so many of the characters from Because of You, but especially Jen's best friend Laura. We get to read all about Laura and her husband Trent in Jessica's next book.The second book in her Coming Home series, Back to You is set for release fromLoveswept in February 2012, and I’ll again pre-order as soon as it’s available.

It Happened One Christmas

2011-12-01T13:00:00.000-06:00

It Happened One Christmas is the latest Blaze release from Leslie Kelly. From the back cover.~

Baby, it’s cold outside…

Six years ago, Ross Mitchell and Lucy Fleming shared a hot holiday weekend in Manhattan, back when he was just a hard-bodied guy in a tool belt and she was an impulsive photography student.

Fast-forward a few Decembers: Ross and Lucy meet again, by chance, at his office Christmas party. And when they find themselves alone and snowed in after hours, it’s not long before they’re making their own body heat – again. Only this time, the sex is better than ever! But is it just another holiday romp between the sheets? Or will Lucy and Ross finally get to keep what they really want this year – each other!

I’m a huge fan of Leslie Kelly and was so excited when I saw she had a Christmas story coming out. I love Christmas stories and knew that any Christmas story Leslie wrote would be both super fun and sexy, and Leslie totally delivered with It Happened One Christmas.

Lucy and Ross first met six years ago when Lucy was contemplating how to get back at her ex-boyfriend for cheating on her…more how to remove what he was using to cheat on her. Ross is attracted to Lucy from the minute they start talking, and even is her knight in shining armor when her ex tries to attack her. Lucy and Ross end up spending a hot weekend together that is cut short by a family emergency for Ross.

Six years later they meet again at Ross’s office Christmas party. Fate steps in again and they end up spending another hot weekend together where they quickly pick up right where they left off …in bed. This time they are older and the chemistry is even hotter than it was six years ago. Lucy and Ross have both changed a great deal since they last saw each other, but the desire for one another is just as strong as ever.

I loved that each chapter of the story when back and forth between the present and the past. The reader got to see Ross and Lucy remembering their past as they lived in the present and got to know each other again. I really loved that both their lives came full circle to bring them both back to their hometown, Chicago. It Happened One Christmas is the perfect story for anyone looking for a fun and sexy read.

It Happened One Christmas is currently available in print and the digital release is set for December 1. Since it is a Harlequin Blaze, it will only be on the bookshelves for a limited time. However, it is available online from http://www.harlequin.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bn.com/ and other online retailers for much longer.

Holiday Kisses

2011-11-27T14:13:00.000-06:00

Holiday Kisses is the newest Christmas anthologybeing published from Carina Press. HolidayKisses includes stories from Alison Kent (This Time Next Year), Jaci Burton (A Rare Gift), HelenKay Dimon (It’sNot Christmas Without You), andShannon Stacey (Mistletoe &Margaritas). I’m a huge fan of each of the authors in this anthology andwas very excited to get a copy early from NetGalley.

Alison Kent’s This Time Next Year

Brenna Keating is on her way to spendChristmas with her grandmother when treacherous roads and a skittish deer puther car in a ditch. Riding to the rescue – literally – is Dillon Craig, areclusive doctor who insists she weather the storm in his cabin.

Since returning from Afghanistan wherehe treated wounded soldiers on the front lines, Dillon’s made it a point toavoid any emotional involvement. But his unexpected guest has him dangerously closeto breaking his own rules.

Brenna has a plan for her life – untilshe’s stranded for three days with Dillon. Soon, the chemistry sizzling betweenthem forces her to re-examine her priorities. The man is gorgeous, if taciturn,and a true hero in every sense of the word. No woman in her right mind couldresist him, and so Brenna doesn’t – even though she can’t stay…

I reallyloved both Brenna and Dillon. Brenna and Dillon are both such strongindividuals, who both have a need to serve and help others. Thanks to a deer inthe road and a major snow storm, Brenna is rescued by Dillon and must wait outthe storm at his cabin. There is attraction between Brenna and Dillon from thebeginning, but with Brenna leaving the country at the first of the year,neither knows if the relationship can go anywhere. However, even with anuncertain future, Brenna and Dillon can’t fight their attraction for oneanother for very long. Loved how fast Brenna and Dillon knew they loved onanother and they were willing to write letters, emails and talk on the phonewhile Brenna worked her dream job for a year.

Jaci Burton’s A Rare Gift

With a disastrous marriage behind him,Wyatt Kent has no interest in getting involved with any woman, let alone hisex-wife’s younger sister. But when Calliope Andrews hires him to build anaddition onto her day care center, Wyatt can’t help but notice she’s adesirable woman, as warm and funny as his ex was cold and aloof.

Calliope fell hard for Wyatt the firsttime he walked through the door of her family’s home, and can’t believe hersister let him get away. He’s still the star of all her fantasies, and she’sdetermined to prove to him she’s nothing like his manipulative ex. Wyatt may beall business, but Calliope sees the way he looks at her when he’s supposed tobe working…

It’s not long before Wyatt andCalliope are keeping each other warm on cold December nights. But it’s going totake a Christmas miracle for Wyatt to put his trust in love a second time.

A Rare Gift is the second book in the KentBrother series from Jaci Burton. I absolutely loved Calliope Andrews. She issuch a strong woman and knows exactly what she wants out of life and is willingto fight for what and who she wants…which has been Wyatt Kent since she firstmet him. Wyatt has just a little bit of baggage when it comes to love. Namely,Calliope’s older sister, who happens to be his ex-wife. He quickly realizesthat Calliope is nothing like her sister, Cassandra, and finds himself havingto fight his attraction to Calliope. As soon as Calliope realizes theattraction is mutual, she will accept nothing less than all of Wyatt. Calliopeknows they are meant to be together, and takes steps to make sure Wyatt has putthe past behind him to insure they can have a future together. Of course, Wyattmust mess up royally first, but in the end, he shows how much he lovesCalliope.

HelenKay Dimon’s It’s Not ChristmasWithout You

Carrie Anders officially broke up withAustin Thomas when she accepted a dream job in the city. Unofficially, shemisses him and is tempted to sneak back to her West Virginia hometown to seehim. That’s why this year, she’s not going home for the holidays. Her heart can’ttake any more mornings-after where nothing has changed – and Austin has made itclear he’s not interested in relocating.

Austin’s been waiting for Carrie torealize she can’t live without him. But when he hears she’s not coming home forChristmas, he decides to take action. If Carrie won’t come to the country, he’sgoing to bring a piece of the country to Carrie – in the form of a Christmastree lot just minutes from her apartment. He’s certain daily meetings willentice her to come home with him, this time for good.

Their attraction is as hot as ever,but with such contrary Christmas wishes, can either of them get what theyreally want for Christmas?

I love thatAustin loves Carrie so much he come to the city to set up a Christmas tree lot acrossthe street from her apartment. Carrie is understandable rude when he firstshows up, but still is as attracted to Austin and even gets jealous when shesees other women hanging around him. Of course, attraction has never beenCarrie and Austin’s problem, but her job in D.C. at a museum has been. Austinfigured Carrie would work in D.C. for a while and then be ready to come backhome. Carrie loves her job at the museum and doesn’t understand why Austin can’tsee how much her work means to her. When Austin attends an event at the museumwith Carrie, he finally sees how important her work is to her, and doesn’t seehow he can fit in her life any longer. Only by compromising can Carrie andAustin make their life together in two different cities.

Shannon Stacey’s Mistletoe &Margaritas

Claire Rutledge still believes inlove, despite losing her husband. So, after two years, she’s not surprised bythe steamy dreams telling her it might be time to start moving on. But she didn’texpect her friend Justin to have the starring role.

Justin McCormick has loved Clairesince the moment he first saw her, but his best friend got there first. Nowthat Claire is ready to move on with her life, Justin is finding it harder thanever to hide his true feelings. And when they both get caught up in the holidayspirit at a party, their simmering mutual attraction boils over into a nightneither of them can forget…

Claire andJustin have been best friends for years. Justin has been in love with Clairefrom the moment he saw her, but his best friend Brendan got there first, so hehas kept his true feelings for Claire hidden for years. Claire has alwayslooked at Justin as a friend, but now she is seeing him in a whole new light.Claire would be happy to act on this new attraction, and after a few margaritasat a holiday party, she and Justin get together. Of course, he wants to blameit on the alcohol, and not mess up their friendship. However, when they hook upagain when out on his snow plow, there isn’t any alcohol to blame this time.Justin feels so much guilt going after his best friend’s wife, even thoughBrendan is

gone. Only after talking to Brendan’s mom does Justin start to feellike he and Claire could have something lasting.

I loved eachand every one of the stories in the HolidayKisses anthology. I’m a big fan of Christmas stories and add a happily everafter to the mix and you always have a winner in my book. The release date isset for December 5, 2011 and can be found at your favorite online bookstore.

Kismet - A Serendipity Novella

2011-11-21T20:45:00.001-06:00

Kismet is newest release from Carly Phillips. Kismet is a Serendipity Novella whichfalls between Serendipity (book 1 inthe series) and Destiny (book 2 inthe series) and was released in eBook only on November 18, 2011. From theauthor’s Facebook page.~

Long Lost Love andSecond Chances

Elisabetta Gardelli thought she'd spend her days serving coffee and writingobits for the town paper until an unexpected opportunity results in her dreamjob as a journalist. Now, divorced and determined to make it on her own, Lissais hired to do a series of interviews about entrepreneurs who’ve made theirmark at an impressively young age.

First up? Wall Street mogul Trevor Dane -- Lissa's first love. Lissa hasn'tseen Trevor since he left the small town of Serendipity to earn his spot on theright side of the tracks. Ten years have passed but neither has really movedfrom their super-passionate teenage affair - or the heartbreak that followed.This reunion can be their second chance or it can provide much needed closure.It all depends on Trevor.

Can he forgive Lissa or will the past continue to stand in their way?

I’ve made it no secret how much I love the Serendipityseries by Carly Phillips. I can honestly say, it is my favorite series ever byCarly, and that is saying a lot since I’ve loved all her books. When I read Serendipity, I was hoping we would getstories from other characters in the town, and with Kismet, we get our first non-Barron brother story.

We first met Lissa when she was working at Cuppa Café andwas extremely rude to Faith Harrington. She was recently divorced and sellingcoffee part-time and writing obits for the SerendipityGazette and waiting for her big break. Luckily, Lissa and Faith found somecommon grounds and when Faith was ready to tell her story, she gave theexclusive to Lissa, who is now working for TheNews Journal. Her first major interview was with Trevor Dane…none otherthan her high school sweetheart, and her one true love.

Trevor hasn’t seen Lissa since he found out she was pregnantwith Brad Banks’ child and marrying him. Even though his family still lives inSerendipity, he hasn’t allowed anyone to tell him what is going on with Lissasince he left ten years ago. He finally agrees to give her the interview, andthen discovers what Lissa’s marriage has really been like. The attraction isstill as strong as it was 10 years ago, and neither can resist the other. Lissaand Trevor are so hot together, but Trevor has to decide if he can accept Lissa’sdaughter, who is also Brad’s daughter. Trevor and Lissa are so great together,and it was fun to watch the high school sweethearts fall in love all overagain.

I really loved Kismetand can’t wait for my next visit with the characters in Serendipity. The nextrelease in the Serendipity series is Destiny,which is set for release on January 3, 2012, and is Nash Barron and Kelly Moss's story.

Fitness and Weight Watchers Update

2011-11-13T20:27:00.001-06:00

I haven't posted an update on my fitness and WW progress since before my Vegas trip, so I thought I would post an update tonight.

I took an entire month off from Weight Watchers from the time I was in Vegas until after my 40th birthday. I never really planned to take off that much time, but I got really lazy and went back to my old ways of picking up fast food rather than eating healthy. I also took off from exercising after my friends and I did our 5K in Vegas. Again, not planned, but my laziness wasn't just tied to eating right.

I somehow only managed to gain 4 pounds from the time I left for Vegas until the beginning of last week when I started back on WW full time. In my first week back on the plan, I managed to lose 2 of those 4 pounds and I feel much better about getting back on track. I know WW is the plan for me because it allows me to eat regular food and helps me stick to the correct portion sizes. I also earn activity points from exercise, and I can use those for treats.

I've also started working out more since I've been back on WW. Mostly because I feel better when I exercise, but my work has set up a voluntary exercise program. Work now wants us to exercise 15 minutes a day 3 days a week. Now that isn't really enough to work off much in the way of calories, but it has been a good way to get me started back on my fitness goal. Today I walked a 5k with my aunt, and even walked an extra mile getting to and from the car. It felt really great and I now plan on joining up for another NOBO training starting in January. I've missed my run /walk schedule, and am excited to get back to it. I'll be sticking to the elliptical for much of the next month and walking on the weekend. With the time change, it is dark when I get home from work, so the weekends will be the only time I can get in a good walk or walk/run.

So i have a plan now and I plan on sticking to my plan this time. The holidays will be hard for me, especially Thanksgiving when my sister, brother, dad and I make all my favorite dishes. I plan to really watch my portions that week, and walk at least a couple of days while at my sister's house. Luckily, my brother will be with me, so I know he will help me with my exercise plan.

SEAL of My Dreams

2011-11-10T19:17:00.001-06:00

The SEAL of My Dreamsanthology includes 18 stories by many of my favorite authors, and a few new tome authors. From Amazon’s website.~

Honor, duty, courage, passion . . . the menof the Navy SEALs are a special breed of hero, and in these novellas byeighteen top romance authors the SEALs are celebrated not only as symbols ofdevoted service to their country but as the kind of men every woman wants tolove. They’ll rescue a damsel in distress and her lap dog, too. They’ll battlehometown dramas and international bad guys. When it comes to giving away theirhearts, they’ll risk everything.

All proceeds from sales of SEAL of My Dreams go tothe Veterans Research Corporation, a non-profit fundraiser for veterans’medical research.

Between them, the authors of SEAL of My Dreamshave won dozens of writing awards including multiple RITAs from Romance Writersof America. Their nearly 600 published novels have sold at least 35 millioncopies worldwide. The SEAL of My Dreams roster includes many of the best-knownauthors in modern romance fiction. In addition, many have strong familyconnections to the servicemen and women of our nation’s military, and manyspecialize in novels featuring heroes and heroines from all branches of service.

I gotan ARC from NetGalley last week and have spent all of my reading time on SEAL of My Dreams this week. I’ve readbooks by most of the authors in the anthology, but a few authors were new tome. I liked each and every one of the stories in this anthology. Each storyfeatures a SEAL and I found that each story was a really quick and enjoyableread. Let’s get real, you really can’t go wrong with sexy SEALs. Add in thefact that all the proceeds for the sales to the Veterans Research Corporation,and you have a total win-win.

I’llbe buying my print copy(must add to my keeper shelf) on release day, which isVeteran’s Day. Print and digital copies can be purchased from Amazon, B&N,and Bell Bridge Books.

SEAL of My Dreams was inspired by a newspaper photo of a Navy SEAL (that's the photo on the cover). Author Christie Ridgway tweeted about the photo in May and quickly followed that tweet with the suggestion that several authors get together to write an anthology to raise money for a military charity. Six months later, SEAL of My Dreams is on sale in digital form ($9.99) and print ($15.95).

Bring Me Home for Christmas

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

Bring Me Home forChristmas is the latest book in Robyn Carr’s popular Virgin River series.From the back cover.~

This year, Becca Timmknows the number one item on her Christmas wish list: getting over DennyCutler. Three years ago Denny broke her heart before heading off to war. It’stime she got over her silly college relationship and moved on.

So she takes mattersinto her own hands and heads up to Virgin River, the rugged little mountaintown that Denny calls home, as an uninvited guest on her brother’s men-onlyhunting weekend. But when an accident turns her impromptu visit into anextended stay, Becca finds herself stranded in Virgin River. With Denny. Invery close quarters.

As the power ofChristmas envelopes the little town, Becca discovers that the boy she onceloved has become a strong and confident man. And the most delicious Christmaspresent she can imagine.

I love visiting with so many of my favorite characters inVirgin River. Bring Me Home for Christmasis the perfect Christmas treat for Virgin River fans. You get to see many ofthe original characters that we sometimes just get glimpses of now that VirginRiver is growing larger. I love the new characters that are making Virgin Rivertheir home, but still enjoy seeing Jack, Mel, Preacher, and Paige and seeingwhat is going on with their families.

I’ve liked Denny since he showed up in Virgin River. Becca hadguts in my opinion. She shows up on an all-guy hunting trip to see if she isreally over Denny, especially since she is at a point in her relationship withher current boyfriend, Doug that could be moving in the marriage direction. However,Becca knows she can’t move forward with her life until she settles things withDenny. Of course, the fact that both Becca and Denny still love one another isthe most important thing for either of them. Plus, Becca’s current boyfriendDoug is a total tool. For some reason it takes Becca breaking her ankle andhaving to stay in Virgin River for her to realize just how much of a tool Dougreally is.

It was sweet and yet still hot to watch Denny and Beccadiscover one another again. Since neither really every stopped loving theother, they also never lost their attraction for one another. Their love makingwas hot, sweet, or playful depending on their moods. Becca finds herselffalling in love with the town and people of Virgin River the longer she andDenny are together. Jack even offers tobuild her a school so she can teach the elementary school-aged kids in town. Although,Becca has always planned on going back to San Diego, she soon realizes thathome for her might just be a small town with the man of her dreams.

With each trip to Virgin River, I too fall more in love withthe town. Denny and Becca are so perfect for one another and they are a perfectfit for the town. Bring Me Home forChristmas helped get me in the Christmas spirit very early. I love readingChristmas stories and after reading Denny and Becca’s story, I’m ready for moreChristmas/holiday stories.

I’m also very excited for the upcoming releases forVirgin River. Robyn once again has 3 Virgin River stories set for release nextyear. Hidden Summit is set forrelease in January, and thanks to NetGalley, I have it waiting for me on mykindle.

The Christmas Wedding

2011-11-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Christmas Wedding is the latest release from James Patterson and Richard DiLallo. From the inside cover flap. ~

The tree isdecorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggestcelebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill's wedding. Since her husband diedthree years ago, Gaby's four children have drifted apart, each consumed by theturbulence of their own lives. They haven't celebrated Christmas together sincetheir father's death, but when Gaby announces that she's getting married--andthat the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day--she may finally beable to bring them home for the holidays.

But the wedding isn't Gaby's only surprise--she has one more gift for herchildren, and it could change all their lives forever. With deeply affectingcharacters and the emotional twists of a James Patterson thriller, The Christmas Wedding is a fresh look at family and the magic of theseason.

Iborrowed The Christmas Wedding fromthe library and was lucky enough to get it just a couple of weeks after therelease date. I generally only read TheWomen’s Murder Club books by James Patterson, but was in the mood for aChristmas story, so I added it to my hold list at the library.

Ireally enjoyed reading The ChristmasWedding. It is a sweet, fast-paced romance. Gaby send out videos to herfour children letting them all know she is getting married on Christmas day.However, the groom won’t be revealed until that time, as she has received 3marriage proposals. She knows this is the perfect way to get her entire familyto come home for the holidays.

Asthe story progresses, we get to spend time with each of Gaby’s children andtheir families. I really liked all of Gaby’s children and enjoyed getting toknow them better. I also loved spendingtime with Gaby’s 3 suitors, Tom Hayden, Jacob Coleman, and Martin Summerhilland her best friend Stacey Lee.

Iloved that each of Gaby’s children tried to get her to tell who she wasplanning on marrying on Christmas day while none of her prospective groomsquestioned her. I have to say I guessedwho she would marry way before it was revealed, but it was still so sweet. Ialso liked the path each of her children took as the story progressed.

Ireally enjoyed The Christmas Wedding.It is nothing like Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club, but is still a fast and funread. I absolutely loved Gaby from page one and she only got better as the bookprogressed. I would love to see a story in the future about more of Gaby’sfamily.

The Ruby Kiss

2011-11-03T18:59:00.001-05:00

The Ruby Kiss isbook 3 in the Magic Knot Fairies series by Helen Scott Taylor. From the backcover.~

A POWERFUL NIGHTSTALKER

Nightshade hungers to bring the strong andbeautiful to their knees beneath the ecstasy of his bite, but he has neverknown sexual lust--not until he meets Ruby McDonald, the curvy redhead whowields attitude and strength like an ax, and who would be the perfect mother ofhis children. Caught in a clash between the Seelie and Unseelie courts, he vowsnot only her survival but also to win her heart.

A MORTAL WITH A SECRET

Plagued by magic inherited from a father shenever knew, Ruby wants answers. Nightshade has them. And when he crashes intoher bedroom late one night, the fairy's silvery eyes, dark intensity, andstriking black wings tempt her with a whole lot more: a mysterious worldwaiting to be explored, a dangerous love that binds her in body, mind, andspirit...and the children she thought she could never have. Ahead looms achoice between freedom and a power some would kill to possess. Should she denyher desires, or succumb to the seduction of...THE RUBY KISS.

I gotan early copy of The Ruby Kiss fromNetGalley. I was super excited to finally get Nightshade’s story. He’s been afavorite character of mine from the very first time he appeared in the series. Ihave to say I liked Ruby when we first met her, but loved her by the endof the book. I love strong characters and with Ruby, the reader is able to seeher discover how strong she truly is. She doesn’t know what she is as the storybegins, but she soon discovers she has the ability to have real power.

Nightshade is such a man. He originally only shows interestin Ruby because he wants her to give him a son. However, he quickly realizes hemust fight to protect Ruby so they can be together. Like with any couple,Nightshade and Ruby have all sorts of roadblocks thrown in their path to happiness. Both Nightshade and Ruby have major issues with their fathers, and only by taking on said fathers can they each move forward with their lives. Luckily for each of them, there are many friends and family members willing to help them in their fights.

I did think The RubyKiss moved a little slow in the beginning. However, once it picked up, itwas non-stop action. I loved the pairing of Nightshade and Ruby and lookforward to more books from this series in the future. The release date for The Ruby Kiss is set for November 15,2011. I can suggest this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal romances.

Winner(s), Winner(s) Chicken Dinner

2011-11-03T10:12:00.002-05:00

Wanted to post the winner for each book. Since it is my birthday giveaway, I decided to give 1 copy of each of the 5 books. So instead of 4 winners there will be 5 winners.

Serendipity goes to buckeyegirl31
Cold Touch goes to Mama Kitty
Dragon Bound goes to Debbie B
A Night to Surrender goes to Mariee
In Bed with a Highlander goes to Jen(RomancingtheBook)

I'll email each of the winners today and you each have 7 days to contact me. Thanks for helping my 40th birthday be even more special!

My 40th Birthday...Gifts For You

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

I’m turning 40 on Saturday, October 29^th. My friends and I celebrated as a group, as we all 7 turn 40 within one calendar year, in Vegas at the first of the month. I decided that to celebrate turning 40, I would give away some of my favorite books that have been released this year. I’ll be giving away 4 books in some of my favorite romance genres (1 book for each decade). I will giveaway digital copies (1 in each genre), Kindle of course is the easiest since you can gift those books, but will email a gift card for cost of digital copy for Nook, Sony, or Kobo. Please let me know which book(s) you would like to win in the comment section, and why. Also, please tell me how you celebrated your favorite birthday. I’d love for you to follow my blog as well, but that is not required to enter. Please include email address if not listed in your profile. Giveaway will run from October 28 – November 2. I’ll use random.org to pick the winners for each category. I'll email all winners, as well as post all winners in a separate post. Winners will have 7 days to respond or new winner(s) will be drawn.

**As I know these books are not all new releases, if you have the book I’m giving away, I’ll be happy to buy a backlist book by the author or pre-order the next book in the series by that author.**

Contemporary Romance

My favorite contemporary romance I’ve read this year is Serendipity by Carly Phillips.

Romantic Suspense

My favorite romantic suspense book I’ve read this year is Cold Touch by Leslie Parrish.

Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

My favorite paranormal romance/urban fantasy book I’ve read this year is Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison.

Historical Romance

Ok, when it comes to historical romances, I had too much trouble picking one book. So I’m giving away any historical romance book by either Tessa Dare or Maya Banks. Please let me know which author and book you would like in the comments.

One Dance with a Duke

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

One Dance with a Dukeis the 1^st book in Tessa Dare’s Stud Club series. From the backcover.~

A handsome andreclusive horse breeder, Spencer Dumarque, the fourth Duke of Morland, is amember of the exclusive Stud Club, an organization so select it has only tenmembers-yet membership is attainable to anyone with luck. And Spencer hasplenty of it, along with an obsession with a prize horse, a dark secret, and,now, a reputation as the dashing “Duke of Midnight.” Each evening he selectsone lady for a breathtaking midnight waltz. But none of the women catch hisinterest, and nobody ever bests the duke-until Lady Amelia d’Orsay tries herluck.

In a moment ofdesperation, the unconventional beauty claims the duke’s dance and unwittinglysteals his heart. When Amelia demands that Spencer forgive her scapegracebrother’s debts, she never imagines that her game of wits and words will leadto breathless passion and a steamy proposal. Still, Spencer is a man ofmystery, perhaps connected to the shocking murder of the Stud Club’s founder.Will Amelia lose her heart in this reckless wager or win everlasting love?

I’ve said before, I buy books as soon as they come out, butdon’t always get to read them right away. I loved Tessa’s first trilogy and had highhopes for The Stud Club trilogy, and with OneDance with a Duke, the trilogy gets an amazing start.

I am a huge fan of Tessa Dare’s books. In fact, her booksare what got me back to reading historical romances after going years withoutgoing near one. She writes some of the best characters ever, and Amelia andSpencer are among my favorites (yes I’ve said this about some of her othercharacters before). I liked how strong Amelia is, even though she really doesn’tsee herself that way. I love strong female characters in historical romances.Amelia actually approaches Spencer at the ball so she can ask him to forgiveher brother Jack’s debt. Spencer didn’t know what to expect when Amelia steppedup to take his one midnight waltz at the ball. In fact, she overwhelms him tothe point that he has to carry her outside so he can catch his breath. Onceoutside, they soon learn that Leo Chatwick, founder of the Stud Club, has beenmurdered. When Spencer returns Amelia home the next morning he decides theywill be married and it will happen within the next 24 hours.

Amelia is attracted to Spencer from the first, but wants toget to know him better before she will make love with him. Spencer has wantedAmelia from their very first dance together, but isn’t happy about having totell her personal information. Amelia and Spencer have some of the bestchemistry from the very first. Amelia is attracted to her husband and once theymake love for the first time, she can’t get enough of him. I really love thatshe never felt the need to hide her desire for her husband. There are a fewbumps in the road that keep their relationship from being too easy. One wouldbe Amelia’s brother Jack and his gambling problems that seem to get betweenSpencer and Amelia. Two would be Spencer’s young ward, Claudia, who is ugly toAmelia from the beginning. Three wouldbe the murder of Leo and the other members of the Stud Club and the fact the 3remaining members can’t seem to agree on anything.

Both Spencer and Amelia make a great couple. They are bothstrong, yet need one another to be stronger. They each find a way to put theirrelationship above any of the roadblocks that have been thrown at them. Witheach page, I found myself loving them more and more as a couple, and asindividuals.

I have the next 2 books in The Stud Club series in my TBR pileand plan to read them soon. I really do love having an entire trilogy in myhands before I read the first book, since I hate having to wait for the nextbook to come out. I highly recommend Tessa Dare’s books to anyone who enjoyshistorical romances.

Too Wild to Hold and Too Wicked To Keep

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Too Wild To Holdand Too Wicked To Keep are the 2^ndand 3^rd books in Julie Leto’s fabulous Legendary Lovers series. Fromthe back covers.~

Too Wild to Hold

Hot nights in The Big Easy…

In the sultry heat ofNew Orleans, as masked man stalks his next prey…private investigator ClaireLeCuyer. In order to protect her, FBI agent Michael Murrieta-the descendant ofa real masked legend-must go undercover at her hiding place…as sensual retreat,where decadence and sin beckon from every room.

Once immersed in thisworld of pleasure, Claire and Michael find themselves teased by the languidlysexual environment-and their blazing attraction to each other. But even as they“mask” their true identities, it’s too late. Now Claire and Michael are caughtup in the danger…and their desire. And the longer they stay in the sensuousworld, the more dangerous it is!

Too Wicked to Keep

Revenge is a dish best served hot…

Can a bad boy changefor the better? Thief Danny Burnett wonders if the heirloom ring in hispossession-once owned by a legendary masked bandit-is as powerful as hisbrothers say it is. But when heiress Abby Albertini steps back into his lifeafter five long years, Danny knows he’s about to find out…

Abby needs Danny’shelp to retrieve something he stole from her. Besides her heart. But Abby’s notthe naive girl she once was. She has a few naughty tricks up her sleeve. She’llget Danny’s help, and teach him a lesson about payback that he won’t soonforget-one hot, wicked night at a time.

I really enjoyed both TooWild To Hold and Too Wicked to Keep,but have to say Too Wicked to Keep ismy favorite of the two books, actually the favorite of the series. Of course,since I wanted Danny’s book since we met him, I figured Too Wicked To Keep would be my favorite in the series.

Too Wild To Holdis Michael and Claire’s story. Michael was the toughest of the 3 brothers forme to connect with. I liked him, but he was more reserved than his brothers.Helps him to be an awesome FBI agent, but took a bit for me to connect with hischaracter. I loved Claire from the moment she appeared on the page. She is astrong woman who is willing to do whatever it takes for her clients, even ifthat means signing on for a sensual weekend where she meets Michael. Michaelshows up to keep Claire out of danger. Claire and Michael are attracted to oneanother from the moment they meet. They fight their attraction for a while, andwhen they finally do give into their passion, it is explosive. Of course,Claire is still in danger, and Michael will do anything to help keep her safe,even accept help from his brother, Danny. Michael and Claire are good together both as a couple and asinvestigators.

Too Wicked To Keepis Danny and Abby’s story. I fell for Danny from the first time he appeared in Too Hot To Touch. Danny is such ascoundrel and yet there is something about him that just makes you want to givehim a hug. Abby shows up in New Orleans to get Danny’s help in stealing backthe painting he stole from her 5 years ago. Danny never really got over what hedid to Abby 5 years ago. In fact, he has avoided all jobs in the Chicago areato insure he not see Abby again. However, Abby won’t take no for an answer thistime. She knows Danny is the only man for this particular job. He knows thehistory of the painting, which would reflect negatively on her family if it isever shown in public. Danny takes the job to help Abby out partially due toguilt, but mostly due to the fact he still has feelings for her.

Abby thought any attraction she had for Danny died 5 yearsago when he used her to steal her painting. However, as she spends more timewith Danny, Abby soon realizes she has never completely gotten past herattraction for him. Danny has never gotten over Abby in all the years they’vebeen apart. This time he is ready tokeep his word, partially to show Abby he has changed, but mostly because hestill loves her. Danny and Abby still have the same chemistry they had 5 yearsago, only now there are no lies between them.

In the end, it turns out Danny can’t help Abby out withoutsome outside help. For the first time in the series, we get to see Danny, Alex,and Michael all work together to fix the situation. One Murrieta man is good,so 3 are even better. I enjoyed watching Danny and his brothers. For 3 men whoonly met months ago, they really did act like they had been brothers for years.I loved the chemistry between the brothers every bit as much as I loved thechemistry between Danny and Abby.

I’m a huge fan of Julie Leto and have to say she gives herreaders winners with her Legendary Lovers’ series. As all three books are fromthe Blaze line, at this point you will have to buy online to find this seriesin either print or digital. I know www.harlequin.com, www.amazon.com , and www.bn.com each should have copies stillavailable. I actually won the seriesfrom Julie on an auction from earlier this year. However, it didn’t keep mefrom ordering the books from www.amazon.comfor my kindle.

On the Steamy Side

2011-10-23T11:19:00.001-05:00

On the Steamy Sideis the 2^nd book in Louisa Edwards’ Recipe for Love series. From theback cover.~

She’s never met a man so mouth-watering

When Lilah Jane Tunklefled her dull life in Virginia for the bright lights of New York City, shedidn’t expect to wind up a nanny to a gorgeous celebrity chef’s ten-year-oldson. Working for the delectable Devon Sparks is a sure-fire recipe fordisaster, especially after Lilah gets a tantalizing taste of his perfectlyseasoned kisses…

And he can’t resist her down-home spice

Devon’s not sure hecan handle one more surprise ingredient in his life-he left his popular TVshow, his culinary reputation is on the line, and now the son he barely knowsis back for seconds. Lilah’s Southern sass is supposed to keep the boy in line,but soon enough she’s teaching Devon a thing or two about homespun food…andturning up the heat.

I tend to buy books as soon as they come out, but don’talways get to read them right away. I like to joke that I’m afraid they willstop printing books one day. I’m a big fan of Louisa Edwards and I reallyenjoyed On the Steamy Side a greatdeal.

In the beginning, Devon is exactly how I would picture abig-time TV chef. He is rude to others in the restaurant, thinks he is alwaysright, and pretty much can get any woman he wants by smiling at them. In fact,the first night Devon and Lilah meet, they hook up. As he spends more and moretime with Lilah, I think we get to see the real Devon Sparks. Lilah is like noone Devon has ever met. She says what’s on her mind and doesn’t really care ifhe likes it or not. She even steps up the help Devon with Tucker, the son hebarely knows. Devon is at a career crossroads when we first meet him. He hasbeen doing a cooking TV show for so long; he thinks it is affecting his skillsin the kitchen.

Lilah was an interesting character for me. I loved how herSouthern roots came out as she passed on the down-home wisdom her aunt taughther. She has feeling for Devon very early on and those feelings only growstronger the more time she spends with him. She sees a side of Devon he doesn’tusually share with anyone. I found it a little hard to believe how well theygot along at first, since they truly are polar opposites. However, the more Iread, the more I liked them as a couple.

I really like the voice Louisa Edwards gives to hercharacters and am happy to say I have both JustOne Taste and Too Hot To Touch inmy monster TBR pile.

First Grave on the Right

2011-10-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

First Grave on the Right is the debut novel and 2009 GoldenHeart Winner by Darynda Jones. From the author’s website.~

A smashing, award-winning debut novel that introducesCharley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper.

Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees deadpeople. And it’s her job to convince them to “go to the light.” But when thesevery dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder),sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad buys to justice. Complicatingmatters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an entity who hasbeen following her all her life…and it turns out he might not be dead afterall. In fact, he might be something else entirely.

I bought First Grave on the Right for my kindle after seeinglots of talk on twitter, many blogs, and one very long conversation with abookseller in the Elizabethtown, KY B&N store (who says actual bookstoresaren’t still a good thing?). I’m glad I went with my gut instinct anddownloaded it to my kindle as soon as I walked out of B&N that day (parkinglot Wi-Fi doesn’t restrict kindle like some B&N store Wi-Fi does).

Charley Davidson is one of the best characters I’ve everread about. She is the grim reaper and dead people see her as sparkly. Sheworks as a PI to help dead people who have been murdered find their killers sothey can move on. She also been having some really hot dreams involving Reyes,who she remembers seeing from the very first moment she was born. Charley remembersevery single thing that has happened since the day she was born. She can bepretty snarky at times, but she is also super smart and I love smart women inbooks.

While Charley is helping the police solve the murder of 3attorneys, she is also trying to figure out who and what Reyes really is. Shealso has to deal with skip tracer Garrett Swopes, who knows her secret thanks toher Uncle Bob, who gave up her secret after having a few too many beers onenight. Uncle Bob is on the police force and Charley uses her talents to helphim solve crimes. Garrett doesn’t know what to do about Charley. I could see hewas attracted to her, but didn’t believe she could really see and talk to deadpeople. Charley’s focus throughout the entire book was really saving Reyes. Sheknew he had been in her life since she was born and wanted to know who hereally was, especially since he didn’t seem to age.

I really liked FirstGrave on the Right and already have SecondGrave on the Left waiting for me on my kindle. I like the characters andcan’t wait to see what happens with Charley and Reyes and even what happenswith Garrett.

Serpent's Kiss

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Serpent’s Kiss isthe 3^rd book in The Elder Races series by Thea Harrison. From theback cover.~

In the latest novel ofthe Elder Races a Queen on the brink of sanity has on one to rely on except theWyr warrior whose conviction is every bit as strong as his passion…

In order to save hisfriend’s life, Wyr sentinel Rune Ainissesthai made a bargain with Vampyer QueenCarling-without knowing what she would ask from him in return. But when Runeattempts to make good on his debt, he finds a woman on the edge.

Recently Carling’sPower has become erratic, forcing her followers to flee in fear. Despite thedanger, Rune is drawn to the ailing Queen, and decides to help her find a curefor the Serpent’s Kiss-the Vampyric disease that’s killing her.

With their desire foreach other escalating just as quickly as Carling’s instability spirals out ofcontrol, the sentinel and the Queen will have to rely on each other if theyhave any hope of surviving the serpent’s kiss…

I was lucky enough to borrow an ARC from a friend and read Serpent’s Kiss before the release date.However, I had lots going on around the release and didn’t get my post up assoon as I wanted to. I’ve said repeatedly that Dragon Bound, the first book from this series, is my favorite bookI’ve read this year. That being said, I’d have to say I loved Serpent’s Kiss almost as much.

I liked Rune from the first time we met him. He has provenhe is both a good warrior and friend. The fact that he would make a bargainwith Vampyer Queen Carling without knowing what would be asked of him fit rightin with his character for me. We metCarling in Storm’s Heart, and Ireally thought she was a bit of a cold-hearted bitch. However, I found myselfreally liking Carling as I read Serpent’sKiss.

Carling is suffering from a disease that seems to onlyeffect older vampires. As she and Rune spend more time together, they start tosee she is changing with each episode she suffers. Carling’s original name wasKhepri, which is changed to Carling when Rune saves her life and the endearmentdarling is misunderstood. Of course, each time she has an episode, Rune isthere and helps Carling change something from her past, that ends up changingthings in the future as well.

With each change, Carling is becoming more stable, whichmakes some in the present not very happy. As Rune helps Carling through eachepisode, they become more and more attracted to one another. They are one of myfavorite couples from this series. They have great passion and respect for oneanother, yet can still fight and play. Both will do anything and everything intheir powers to protect the other.

While Dragon Boundis still my favorite book in this series, I truly loved Serpent’s Kiss as well. Carling is an unlikely heroine, yet herdifferences from the standard heroine are the reason I love her so much as thestory progressed. Rune has always been a favorite of mine, but watching himprotect Carling from everyone proved to me he was a true hero.

I have to thank all my friends on twitter for tweeting somuch about this series. Without them, I would have missed out on an amazinggroup of books. There is a bit of a wait for the next full-length book in thisseries, but there will be a novella released in December 2011.

The Heart of a Killer

2011-10-16T15:45:00.001-05:00

The Heart of a Killer is book one in The Killers Series by NYT’sbestselling author Jaci Burton. From the author’s website.~

No one said coming home would be easy. But for DanteRenaldi, it's murder.

Before the Special Forces hero has even unpacked his bags fromtwelve years of active duty, he's embroiled in murder—corpses bearing thebrutal trademark he's seen only once before—on the worst night of his life.

The last time Detective Anna Pallino saw DanteRenaldi, they were in love. Now, he's part of the connection toa string of fresh homicides and a horrible assault Anna only survived thanks tohim.

More than anything, Anna wants to trust Dante. But as the bodiesand the coincidences stack up, Anna will have to decide, and fast: Is the manshe owes her life to the very same one who wants her dead?

I’m a huge fan of Jaci Burton and was soexcited when I saw The Heart of a Killerwas available on NetGalley, and even more excited when I was able to get anearly copy. This is Jaci Burton’s first romantic suspense book and I think shehit it out of the park.

Twelve years ago Dante, Gabe, Roman andJeff were foster kids living with George and Ellen Clemons and best friendswith Anna Pallino. Anna and Dante were dating and in love, until the worstnight of the lives had Dante leaving town with no warning. On the night hereturns, someone important to Dante is found murdered and the attack andcalling card, a heart carved into the above the heart, are similar to whathappened on the worst night of his life.

Dante and Anna are thrown back together ashe helps her investigate the attack and murder. Since the attack is in the samelocation and similar to the one Anna lived through twelve years ago, they startto wonder who else saw what happened that night. Of course, Anna isn’t ready totrust Dante as soon as she sees him. He has been gone for 12 years and no onereally knows where he has been or what he has been doing. However, theattraction between Dante and Anna is just as strong today as was when they wereteens. When another person important to Anna and Dante is found murdered, thereis no doubt they will work together to find out who is behind the latestmurders.

I figured out the “bad guy” pretty earlyon. However, even as I was guessing who was behind everything, I was reallyhoping I was wrong. I did enjoy watching Dante and Anna work together and whenthey finally decided to move their relationship to that next level, it wasexplosive. Dante was 18 and Anna was 16 when they dated as teens, so they hadnever taken that next step. As adults, they can explore their relationship onevery level and work towards having a long-term relationship.

I loved both Dante and Anna best of allthe characters. I also liked getting to know a bit more about the guys, Gabe,Roman and Jeff. I have to say I was most intrigued by Gabe of all the secondarycharacters and really hope we get his story in the future. Even figuring outthe bad guy early on, I still loved The Heart of a Killer and hope we get manymore romantic suspense books from Jaci Burton in the future.

The Heart of a Killer is set forrelease on October 18, 2011 and can be found at your favorite bookstore oronline retailer. I’ll be heading to my local B&N to pick up my print copyfor my keeper shelf.

Real Men Will

2011-10-13T18:55:00.000-05:00

Real Men Will isthe 3^rd book in the Donovan Brothers Brewery series by VictoriaDahl. From the author’s website.~

It wasmeant to be a one-night stand. One night of passion. Scorching hot. Then BethCantrell and Eric Donovan were supposed to go their separate ways. That’s theonly reason he lied about his name, telling her he was really his wild youngerbrother. Hiding his own identity as the conservative Donovan. The “good” one.

Butpassion has its own logic, and Eric finds he cannot forget the sable-hairedbeauty with whom he shared one night of passion. When Beth discovers that Erichas lied, however, she knows he cannot be trusted. Her mind tells her to forgetthe blue-eyed charmer. If only every fiber of her being did not burn to callhim back.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of Real Men Will from NetGalley. I’ve wanted to know more about Ericsince Good Girls Do. Even though heis very controlling of his younger siblings, who are now adults, I still likedsomething about Eric from the beginning. I loved reading Beth’s and Eric’sstory. In fact, I think their story was the hottest of the three Donovan sibling’sbooks.

Beth understandable doesn’t trust Eric once she finds out helied about his name, but she can’t really resist him either. Eric didn’t reallymean to lie to Beth when they first met. He just held off from correcting herassumption that he was Jamie, since Jamie was supposed to be working the event.Of course, he is attracted to Beth from the first and their chemistry burns upthe pages.

The usual drama between the Donovan siblings happens againin Real Men Will. Of course, learningmore about the family’s history made me understand the relationships betweenEric, Jamie, and Tessa much better. I still love Eric best, even with all hiscontrol-freak issues.

The release date for Real Men Will is October 25, 2011, andI can’t wait to buy my print copy for my keeper shelf. Also, anyone wanting toread about Eric and Beth’s first meeting can read all about it in “Just OneTaste” in The Guy Next Dooranthology.

Night After Night

2011-09-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

Night after Night is the 2^nd book in The RelianceGroup series by Janelle Denison. From theauthor’s website. ~

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS…

The son of acon-artist, Sean O’Brien learned the hard way that living by your own rulescomes with a price. After a brief time behind bars, Sean is now ready to livean honest life, and pay for his past mistakes. But even his gorgeous face andseductive charms can’t make up for his prison record…until a member of TheReliance Group sees Sean’s potential for good and gives him a job at the OnyxCasino.

WILL KEEP THEM COMINGBACK FOR MORE…

Zoe Russo has met alltypes of men on the Vegas strip. But when Sean pays a visit to her casinoboutique, she knows he’s in luck. They share an immediate, irresistibleattraction, and for the first time in her life she’s found a man she thinks shecan trust. But when Zoe stumbles onto the truth about Sean and his reasons forpursuing her, she can’t help but question his feelings for her. Is he for real,or has she been a fool for love? Until now, nothing has prepared her for thethrill, and risk, of gambling on love.

I've been a fan of Janelle Denison since I read one of her first Wilde books and was soexcited when she announced her new series, The Reliance Group. I loved Into the Night, the first book in theseries, and was very excited when Janelle was offering up ARCs of Night After Night one day on twitter. Ofcourse I begged for one and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read thisstory early.

As much as I loved the first book, Night After Night is even better. We saw a bit of Sean in Into theNight and I was drawn to his character, so I was really happy to see Night AfterNight was his book. Being not only the son of a con-artist, but a con-artisthimself for a while, Sean is probably one of the best at working undercover…thatis until he has to work undercover to help find the man who helped send hisfather to prison. He can handle finding Mr. Russo, but he doesn’t expect to beattracted to Zoe the minute he sees her. Keeping himself at a distance ispretty much impossible from day one.

Zoe must decide if she can forgive Sean when she finds outhe was undercover and using her to find her father before he can tell her.Although she still has trust issues with Sean, Zoe does call Sean for help whenshe is in trouble. The attraction is very strong between Zoe and Sean, and theyare explosive together once they finally give in to their attraction for oneanother. Zoe and Sean find they are also a really great team as they worktogether to find Zoe’s father. Sean even learns more about what happenedbetween their fathers all those years ago.

There is also a secondary romance in this book between Zoe’s best friend Jessica Morgan andher high school sweetheart Noah Young, who just happens to run Taboo, the nightclub at The Onyx and works with Sean. Noah and Jessica are still in love today as much as they were when theywere in high school. A trauma from Jessica’s past is what has been keeping themapart for years. I loved watching Jessica and Noah find one another again.There romance was every bit as fun and sexy as Sean’s and Zoe’s.

Night After Nightis one of my favorite romantic suspense books I’ve read this year. I reallylike the members of The Reliance Group and am hoping we will get more books inthis series in the future. Night AfterNight release date is October 4, 2011, and I’ll be buying my copy that day formy keeper shelf.

Dare Me

2011-09-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

Dare Me is the latest novella release fromJulie Leto, which was originally published in 2005 under the title Dare toDesire. From the author’s website.~

When faced with a choicebetween saving the world and reclaiming your one true love…why not take both?

Secret agent Macy Rush is on a mission: find the counter-code thatwill thwart an impending terrorist attack. But her operation goes from bad toworse when she discovers the New Orleans mansion she must search is now ownedby rival spy Dante Burke—the man who betrayed her in the most intimate anddestructive way.
As lead agent for The Arm, an elite, black-ops division of theCIA, Dante has already searched the house from top to bottom. Though he’s comeup empty, Macy insists on checking for herself. Dante agrees—for a price.During the day, he’ll help her try to save the world. But at night, she will be his.

Dare Me is a fast-paced fun andsexy novella. I loved that Macy is such a strong and smart woman. Although Dante appears to be pretty devious,I still found him to be super sexy in that secret agent/007 kind of way. Macyis forced to work with Dante again to try and save the world. She is allowedfull access to search their current location during the day for a price…shewill be his each and every night.

After so many years, Danteis full of surprises. Macy doesn’t know what to expect as Dante slowly seducesher. In fact, the slow seduction was hotter than if they had just jumped backinto bed. Of course, saving the world must still be their priority no matterhow much they want one another, and Macy must decide if she can trust Danteagain after all these years. They ended their relationship based on a pretty bigmisunderstanding. Dante will have to be totally honest with Macy to keep themon the path to reconciliation.

I really loved Dare Me. It moved really fast and wasfull of smart characters. Dante and Macy are good together as agents and as acouple. Would love to see more stories from some of the secondary characters inthe future.

New York to Dallas

2011-09-25T17:33:00.000-05:00

New York to Dallasis the latest book in JD Robb’s best selling In Death series. From the insidecover flap.~

JD Robb presents anintense and terrifying new case for New York homicide cop Eve Dallas, one thatwill take her all the way back to the city that gave her her name-and take youdeeper into the mid of Eve Dallas than ever before.

It was one of EveDallas’s earliest takedowns, back in her uniform days. A monster named IsaacMcQueen had been abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mindand body. Thanks to Eve, he wound up where he belonged, removed from civilizedsociety in Rikers. But he’s not behind bars anymore.

After his escape,McQueen has two things in mind. One is to take up where he left off, preying onthe young and innocent-when necessary, with the help of a female partner, alltoo willing to be manipulated and to aid and abet his crimes. His other goal:to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago, now ahigh-profile lieutenant in the NYPSD and married to one of the city’s richestmen.

Commanding Eve’sattention with a chilling and brazen crime, McQueen sets off the chase-forcingEve down a road marked with blood and tears, a road that eventually leadssouthwest to Dallas, Texas, the home Eve fled long ago. And each new twistbrings her closer to the harrowing memory of when she wasn’t a hardeneddetective but a vulnerable girl just like McQueen’s innocent prey. As herhusband, Roarke, tries to rescue her from the nightmares that claw at her mind,and her partner, Peabody, doggedly works to support her, Eve must confront-andcall upon-the darkest parts of her own soul in order to survive.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the In Deathseries is one of my most favorite series ever! There have been a few of thebooks that I didn’t love, but overall I love the series. There have been acouple of books in the series that never really connected for me. That beingsaid, New York to Dallas was a winnerto me. I felt like Robb went back to her old school ways with this book.

Eve Dallas is forced to re-visit her past in New York to Dallas, and there is nothingher husband Roarke can do to protect her this time. I really think NYTD was the most intense book in thisseries to date. Eve is taken back to her very first takedown from when she wasin uniform. The McQueen takedown is the one that got her started on the path todetective. Now McQueen has escaped from prison and he wants Eve to be his grandprize. Of course, first he must start up his collection of young girls, and heonce again has an older woman to help him kidnap those young girls.

With Eve’s past, I knew going back to Dallas would make fora very emotional journey. Being in Dallas again always brings back memories forEve, and it doesn’t help that McQueen kidnaps and rapes young girls. There ishuge revelation for Eve while she is in Dallas. I totally saw it coming, but itstill was extremely emotional to read. Luckily, Roarke knows his wife and hasDr. Mira come to Dallas to help Eve through this latest ordeal. We didn’t get to see Peabody and Feeny asmuch with this book, but they were still in the background through much of thebook. I liked many of the cops Eve worked with in Dallas, but was very happyonce the case was over and they were heading back to New York.

I was very scared that by changing the book name from an “InDeath” book to New York to Dallasmight mean the end of the series. I’m really glad to say this isn’t the end ofthe series. Was a great next book in the series and probably one of the mostemotional books I’ve read in this series. Next up in the series is “Chaos in Death” novella set to be released inOctober.

Bad Boys Do

2011-09-22T20:06:00.000-05:00

Bad Boys Do isthe 2^nd book in The Donovan Brothers Brewery series by VictoriaDahl. From the author’s website.~

Olivia Bishop is no fun.That’s what her ex-husband said. That’s what her smart bob and glasses imply.And with her trademark determination, Olivia sets out to remake her life. She’sgoing to spend time with her girlfriends and not throw it all away for someman. But when an outing with her book club leads her to a brewery taproom, thedark-haired beauty realizes that trouble – in the form of sexy Jamie Donovan –may be too tempting to avoid.

Jamie Donovan doesn’tmean to be bad. Sure, the wild streak in his wicked green eyes has lured theladies before. But it’s time to grow up. He’s even ready for a serious romance.But how can that be when Olivia, the only right woman he has ever met, alreadyhas him pegged as wrong.

I requested Bad Boys Dofrom NetGalley and was so excited when I received notification I was approvedfor an ARC. We first met Jamie and the rest of the Donovan clan in Good Girls Don’t. Jamie intrigued mefrom the first, but couldn’t really say why until I read his story.

I loved Olivia from the first minute we met her. I could sototally relate to her as I admit I’m a total geek and saw a little of myself inher. I’ve never been really comfortable around guys, especially guys as sexy asJamie. I loved that Olivia was ready to do pretty much anything and everythingto turn her life from safe to fun. Which of course is where Jamie comes in tothe picture. Jamie is all about the fun. In fact, his own family still treatshim like he is still an irresponsible kid for the most part. I hate to use thephrase they completed each other, but they really did. Jamie brought out thefun in Olivia and that helped her to be more confident in herself. Oliviahelped Jamie with getting organized in business which allowed him to finallystand up for himself with his family. Olivia and Jamie are attracted to oneanother from their first meeting. They were so hot together and I was cheeringthem on from the first.

I also really loved the friendship between Olivia and Gwen. It wasnice to see women who work together become friends, even when the women are sodifferent from one another. Loved that Olivia and Gwen talked about men justlike my friends and I talk about men.

Now, I’ve never been a fan of how Eric treats Jamie. I don’t careif you are the oldest sibling, you eventually have to see your younger sibs asadults. Jamie isn’t without fault in this situation. He has allowed Eric tocontinue to treat him as the kid brother. Jamie is the middle child in thefamily, and the second son. As the middle child, I understand being in theshadow of an older sibling. However, at some point you have to let the birthorder thing go and move on. In fact, once Jamie finally stands up for himself,I think his family, especially Eric, finally saw him for who he really is.

I’m a big fan of Victoria Dahl and really enjoyed Bad Boys Do. I’ll buy my keeper shelfcopy on the release date, which is 9/29/11.

Storm's Heart

2011-09-22T18:24:00.000-05:00

Storm’s Heart is the second book in The Elder Races seriesby Thea Harrison. From the back cover.~

He’s a Wyr warrior,and god of storms. She’s the heir to the Dark Fae thrown. But desire will bringboth to their knees in this all-new Novel of the Elder Races.

During the rule of hermurderous Dark Fae uncle, Thistle “Tricks” Periwinkle found sanctuary among theWyr in New York. Her ethereal beauty and sparkling personality won the heartsof the public, but after her uncle’s death, there are those who don’t want tosee her ascend to the thrown…

Able to wield thunderand lightning, Wyr sentinel Tiago Black Eagle has ruled the skies forcenturies. His massive build and thunderous power make him one of the Wyr’sbest weapons. And he’s the one sent to protect Tricks when she’s almostassassinated in Chicago.

Soon, both Tiago andTricks will fall prey to the stormy hunger that engulfs them-a passion thatwill shake the very foundations of all the worlds…

Dragon Bound isthe first book in this series and it is still one of my favorite books I’veread this year. I’d even go as far as to say it’s my favorite paranormalromance I’ve read this year. So Storm’sHeart already had a great deal to live up to for me. That being said, Iloved Tricks from the time we got to spend with her in Dragon Bound and was really excited to get her book.

I really liked Storm’s Heart. We learn Tricks’ real name isNaniane Lorelle, but no matter how often others call her Naniane, I still thinkof her as Tricks, and love learning more about her. Also, from the verybeginning, it is obvious Tiago will do everything within his power to keepTricks safe. Tiago proves he is capable of protecting Tricks from the multipleattempts on her life in Chicago. Yes, he does make a few mistakes along the way,but he doesn’t give up. We get to spend more time with some of the Wyrsentinels, meet many new faces of the Dark Fae, and even spend time withVampyre Queen Carling. There are more battles and action packed scenes in thisbook, and at times the action had me on the edge of my seat.

I think Tiago and Tricks are so perfect for one another.Bother are such strong individuals and when they finally give in to theirfeelings for one another, it’s explosive. In fact, Tiago and Tricks weredown-right HOT together. I did figure out who was behind all the attempts onTricks’ life before it was revealed and really hated that a couple of newcharacters were killed in the final battle. However, I really liked everythingelse about this book and can’t wait to read Serpent’s Kiss, the 3^rdbook in The Elder Races series, which is scheduled for release on October 4,2011. Now, I’ll buy my copy for my keeper shelf on that day, but I get to readit early thanks to a friend who has loaned me her early copy.

Weight Watchers Update

2011-09-18T07:54:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted any updates on my Weight Watchers journey in the last few weeks. I've had some ups and downs, but am happy to say I've lost a total of 10 pounds as of today. The heat has been an issue for my running, but now that we are starting to get a taste of fall temps, I'll be better about getting outside to run/walk. I have used my elliptical some, but found I don't really like it as much as I like running/walking outside.

I've been pretty happy with my food choices over the past few weeks. Luckily, I love some veggies and can always go to those for meals when I feel like I've fallen off the healthy food wagon. I have picked up dinner a few time over the last few weeks rather than fixing my fresh veggies, but have decided to put a stop to that until after my Vegas trip. I need to get back to my training and I'm not doing that if I'm eating the wrong food.

I'm going to run/walk a 5k while in Vegas with my friends. Two of they will have rock star times, and my goal is to run at least half of the total race. I'm still hoping to run the entire 5k at the end of October on my 40th birthday, so figure this will help to get me going.

Hunted by the Others

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Huntedby the Others is the first book inthe H & W Investigations series by Jess Haines. From the author’s website.~

Theyare the Others—the vampires, mages, and werewolves once thought to exist onlyin our imaginations. Now they’re stepping out of the shadows, and nothing inour world will ever be the same again…

In a Town Like This, Being A P.I. Can Be Murder

ShiarraWaynest’s detective work was dangerous enough when her client base was strictlymortal. But ailing finances have forced her to accept a lucrative case thatcould save her firm—if it doesn’t kill her first. Shiarra has signed on to workfor a high-level mage to recover an ancient artifact owned by one of New York’smost powerful vampires.

Assoon as Shiarra meets sexy, mesmerizing vamp Alec Royce, she knows herassignment is even more complicated than she thought. With a clandestineanti-Other group trying to recruit her, and magi being eliminated, Shiarraneeds back-up and enlists her ex-boyfriend—a werewolf whose non-furry form isdisarmingly appealing—and a nerdy mage with surprising talents. But it may notbe enough. In a city where the undead roam, magic rules, and even the Othersaren’t always what they seem, Shiarra has just become the secret weapon in abattle between good and evil—whether she likes it or not…

I downloaded Huntedby the Others when it was free on Amazon back in January. I had seen manypeople talking about the series and moved it up in my ever-growing TBR pilewhen I was contacted about posting a review on my blog (I don’t know if ithappens to anyone else, but I seem to lose books on my ever-growing TBR list ofebooks).

For me, Huntedby the Others moved a little slow at first. However, once it picked up, Iwas hooked and really enjoyed the story. I’m a pretty big fan of paranormalromances/urban fantasy books and I love the combo of vampires, magic andwerewolves.

Shi and her best friend Sara run and own H&WInvestigations. Unknown to Shia, Sara has been feeding her money into thebusiness to keep it going. The contract Shia takes with The Circle could turntheir business around and finally get them into the black. However, when anoffers seems too good to be true, it probably is, especially when you aren’tgiven all the facts up front. Said contract brings Shia directly in contactwith super powerful and sexy vamp Alec Royce, who has the item The Circlewants. Ws also meet The White Hats, who as a group are trying to rid the worldof all supernaturals. Add in Shia’s ex-boyfriend Chaz, who didn’t let her knowhe was a werewolf until he shifted in her living room and Arnold, a super geekymage, and we have our cast of main characters.

Now I have to admit, vampires are probably myfavorite of the supernatural elements. Probably because they were the firstgroup I read about when I first tried paranormal romances (thank you JR Ward).So, I really loved Alec Royce from the very beginning, and think there is somuch more to his character than what we were shown in the first book. I seem tohave a thing for the bad-boy vamps, or at least those vamps that seem like badboys. ;) I have to say Jess builds a great cast of characters and I canhonestly say I loved something about each of them, but Shia, Sara, and Royceare my favorites.

I love the action and felt the storyline wasstrong through the entire book. I was sent a copy of Taken by the Others, the 2^nd book in the H&W seriesfrom the author and hope to get my post on it up soon. Also, thanks to Bordersgoing out of business (makes me very sad, but I still bought tons of books), Iwas able to get a great deal on Deceivedby the Others and add it to my ever growing TBR list.

Jess is currently on deadline, but I will be hosting her on my blog later this year.

Envy Book Signing with JR Ward

2011-09-11T12:51:00.001-05:00

***SPOILERS BELOW***SPOILERS BELOW***

Anyone who has stopped by my blog knows I love JR Ward’sbooks. I also really love going to see JR at her book signings. Haven’t missedbut 1 (Covet) in the last 3-4 years. I went to the book signing with one personwho had never read Ward and one person who is pretty new to Ward. This booksigning took place in Cincinnati, Ohio at one of the B&N stores, and Iwondered if Ward would censor herself any. That question was answered when shedropped the F-bomb within about 2 minutes of talking to the crowd…LOL. Nowusually I go to the book signings with my cousins and one takes notes while Irecord the chat (audio only), but I was on my own with the note taking thistime, but know I didn’t miss anything major. FYI, this post is full of spoilersabout the Fallen Angel series. In fact, this was the first time I was at a Wardbook signing without finishing the book and the first question is a spoiler.Read only if you don’t mind spoilers.

***YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED***

Did Devina cheat withEddie? She did not cheat this time.

Is there a return ofEddie? Hope yes.

Do you have authorsor other inspiration for writing? Wrath was the first word out of hermouth. Then said no other authors inspire her. She is a writer and must writeeach and every day.

What will Mary &Rhage’s child be? A girl. Can’t you just see when she starts dating andDaddy’s dragon tries to eat her dates.

How many BDB bookswill you write? Will write as many books as her readers will continue tobuy.

There will be anawesome new male introduced in Lover Reborn named “Asail” (not sure ofspelling, but probably needs an “h” put in it somewhere).

Muhrder will get hisown book (she has said this before at other book signings)

She has written Mary& Rhage’s novella, but still needs to write Beth & Wrath’s. Can’tfinish until she finishes Tohr’s book. No date yet for the novellas to bepublished.

Is Wrath white orAfrican American? 1^st he isn’t a human, nor is he or any of thebrothers pasty-ass white boys. They are tanned skinned, so not white or black(I picture Latin-American coloring based on her statement).

Will Butch & Vever be together? Who says they haven’t already been together and we don’tknow about it (she even laughed and said this will show up on the internet).

TEAM QHUAY!!!

She said it needs tobe next after Tohr’s book. 2 thingshave to happen in Tohr’s book to set it up – Team Qhuay won’t be happy with oneof the things that happens. Both must happen for their book to be ready. FYI,this is the first time she called it a book rather than a novella. Not sure ifthat means we get an actual book, but kind of makes me wonder…

Will we see morecross-over between BDB/Angel series? They will be in Caldwell from now on,so very possible to see cameos from each series.

What is dog? Answerto dog is in dog.

Zsadist is herfavorite character.

Will Jim get a happyending? Yes he will.

Score is tied 1-1after Crave. How did Jim lose? He tried to help the wrong guy.

When will Nalla findout about Zsadist’s history and what will be her reaction? She will readabout it. This will throw Z back into the world of the Mistress again. Willalways worry about how Nalla sees him now. Also how any male she would matewith would see him. Never gave a total answer about Nalla’s reaction, butseemed like it wouldn’t be good.

Will Trez & iAmget their own books? Also asked about future threesomes. Yes they will getbooks. We have not met iAm’s mate yet. Would not comment on future threesomes.We will see more of Trez & iAm in future books.

Tohr’s new mate is No’One. Very long book and will be broken up into 4 sections – Spring, Summer,Fall, Winter. Tohr is not ready for a new mate yet, so takes some time for himto be ready for a new mate. ***Will need lots of Kleenex for this book***

Lassiter will be seena lot in Tohr’s book.

Payne & Manny’sbook and Tohr’s book were happening at the same time. There was muchoverlapping in action that occurred, so Payne & Manny’s book focused mostlyon them. Tohr’s book will have more focus on the brothers. Will see more of thebrothers together in Tohr’s book. Tohr is the last original brother.

How did you pick adragon for Rhage? When she first saw Rhage he took off his shirt & shesaw the dragon tattoo moving on his back.

Devina & Adrianthing – She is a parasite and she is in Adrian. Must keep reading to findout if she get Adrian.

Will Layla ever havesex? (she actually dropped the microphone with this question) Yes and youwon’t like who it is with (my guess is Qhuinn).

Who is next forFallen Angel series? You will know at the end of Envy.

Will we see more ofScribe Virgin? Lash? We will see more of the Scribe Virgin. She hates Lashwith a passion and he is such a shit. Answer to Lash was at the end of Lover Mine.

What would it take tohave the BDB to move to movie/mini-series (HBO)? Has to be the rightsituation. Her concern and focus willalways be the books.

What will happen withSissy? Jim will save her.

Brothers will starttraining again. Must have families return to Caldwell first.

Will we see more ofthe Sympaths in the future? Most likely will help with battle between Wrath& Xcore & his band of bastards.

Wrath will never gethis eyesight back. (she has said this at many book signings)

Lassiter & the Brothershate each other. Lassiter is a dick. However, we will see another side ofLassiter in Tohr’s book.

How did she pickBrother’s music? JR listens to rap & hip/hop.

Was questioned aboutJane forgiving V so quickly in Lover Unleashed. Jane knew who/what V waswhen she decided to be with him. In fact, she was pretty defensive of Jane’schoice. Jane knew V was a Dom and had to accept him for who he is from the verybeginning.

What is her favoritebook? One she is currently writing.

Will we see Qhuinn’sbrother again? Yes and she said the line “might be a Lessor” a couple oftimes.

No’One’s name will berevealed in Tohr’s book.

Asked if No’One isThroe’s sister? No answer given, but seemed like a yes based on bodylanguage.

What about the Omega?He has been very quiet in the books, but not quiet for what is going on. I’mguessing we will see more of him in Tohr’s book.

Tohr’s book will beat least 700 pages. She is about half way through it now.

Question about Qhuinn’spiercings. He took them out while he is working to redefine himself. Somepiercings have not been taken out. Others will return once he leaves hisunhappy place

Would we ever get aprequel for Darius? Most likely no since there is no happy ending.

Does Layla losing hervirginity have anything to do with Qhuinn’s vision? Big no answer, butagain I will guess yes based on body language.

I did my best to get all the major questions put out there for everyone. If anyone has any other questions, post in the comments and I'll see if I have any other notes. I was told by one of her entourage that they would be back in Radcliff for a book signing in the future. Loved going to B&N with friends, but missed seeing all my Radcliff friends at the signing.

Additional information from the signing http://obscuredvixen.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/jr-ward-book-signing-recap/.

Welcome Carly Phillips

2011-09-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Tocelebrate the 9/6/11 release of Serendipity, I was lucky enough to get Carly toanswer a few questions about the series.

I lovethe town of Serendipity. Is it based on a real town?

CP: Serendipity is a figment of my imagination except that I live ina town that is the same forty minutes outside of New York City. Like most of my books that are set in fictional north east towns,there are elements that are drawn from places I’ve been or things I’ve seen or experienced.

Do youfeel like each of the books in the series can be viewed as stand-alone books ordo they need to be read in order?

CP: The romance in each of thebooks can be viewed as stand alone. The conflict and the brothers pasts carry over from book to book but I do my best togive an overview in each story without boring the reader who has already read and experienced theinformation in prior books. I always recommend readersstart with the first book and go in order but if a reader happens to pick up alater book in the series I am sure they can keep up!

I loveeach of the Barron brothers. Do you have a favorite?

CP: Really? You want me toanswer that? Each brother owns a piece of my heart. Seriously. Though currently as I’m writing him, Dare is pretty darn special. Then again, so was Ethan, as was Nash …

Do yousee any of the secondary characters from Serendipity getting their own book inthe future?

CP: Absolutely! I hope tocontinue in Serendipity and go forward with characters readers have met andalready come to know. No specific plans yet butI hope to have a more definitive answer in the Fall.

WillTess play a role in both Nash’s and Dare’s stories?

CP: Tess will most certainlyplay a role in each subsequent brother’s book. Nash and Tess have a lotof work to do in forging a relationship and with Ethan and Faith on theirhoneymoon as book 2 starts, Kelly is in charge. Which means if Nash wants to spend time with his new sister, hehas to also go through Kelly to do it. As for Dare’s story, Tess isn’t as prominent in the beginning although we do see her but by theend, she plays a pivotal role in helping Dare get over his past.

What isup next for you after Destiny (Nash’s book) and Karma (Dare’s book)?

CP: I’m honestly not 100% sure! Karma is due September 1 just a weekbefore Serendipity is released, so I’m sure there will beserious conversations right after I hand in the story. I’d always like to hear what readers would mostwant to see next, whose story they want, etc. So feel free to let me know!

CarlyPhillips is the New York Times Bestselling author of over30 romance novels with contemporary characters and plotlines that today’s readers identify withand enjoy. Carly is a stay at homemom of 2 daughters (now almost old enough to read her books!), one soft coatedwheaten terrier and a brand new Havanese puppy. She’s a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interactwith her readers. More information on Carlycan be found at www.carlyphillips.com. Around the web you can also find Carly at:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/carlyphillips

Facebook: www.facebook.com/carlyphillipsfanpage

Blog: www.plotmonkeys.com

Serendipity

2011-09-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough toread and ARC from NetGalley (thanks Carly) of Serendipity. From the author’swebsite.~

New York Timesbestselling author Carly Phillips presents the first in a delightful new seriesabout a quaint upstate New York town where love, fate and fortune areintertwined …

Faith Harrington was the classic girl ofprivilege–until her father was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and then hermarriage crashed and burned.

Now Faith is back in her hometown, hoping for a fresh start. Buther father’s betrayal has rocked Serendipity – and not everyone is ready towelcome her with open arms. Then she runs into her teenage crush — the dark,brooding Ethan Barron. Ethan, no stranger to scandal himself, never imaginedhe’d own the mansion on the hill, much less ever again come face to face withFaith–the princess he once kissed senseless. The chance meeting reignites theelectric charge between them.

Still, when Ethan hires her to redecorate what was once herchildhood home, Faith is sure that getting involved with the town’s notoriousbad boy will only lead to trouble. But her heart has other ideas. And so do thetownspeople of Serendipity …

Carly Phillips gives her readers another winner with Serendipity. I fell for Ethan from thestart. He is a bit of a smart ass, but really has a heart of gold. He stillcarries guilt for mistakes he made as a teenager, especially how it affectedhis brothers Nash and Dare. When half-sister Tess is dropped at his house, Ethanhas yet another person to feel guilty about.

Faith has never really had control of her life. She went from her parent's house pretty much to her husband's house, and has decided to finally step out of her shelland take control of her own life. Of course she meets Ethan again pretty muchthe first day she comes home to Serendipity. There is still something therebetween them that hasn’t gone away since high school. When Ethan hires her to help decorate herchildhood home, the sexual tension continues to build. Not even the arrival ofEthan’s half sister can put a complete damper on their attraction.

Carly also gives us some amazing supporting characters withthis new series. Ethan’s brothers Nash and Dare are pretty much butt heads toEthan when he first comes back. Both thaw a bit towards him as the bookprogresses, Dare more so than Nash. Really just makes me want to know moreabout each of these men. Can’t wait tosee what happens to Faith’s best friend Kate, her friends April and Lissa, andher ex-boyfriend Nick in future books.

The town of Serendipity kind of reminds me ofRobyn Carr’s Virgin River. As I met each new character, I couldn’t wait to readhis or her story. The actual release date for Serendipity is Tuesday, September 6, 2011. I suggest everyone run to their nearest bookstore or favorite on-line retailer and get your copy on Tuesday! The next book in the Serendipity series is Destiny and it is currently set forrelease in January 2012.

Better Than Eight

2011-08-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Better Than Eight is the latest ebook release by Erin Jamison. From the author’s website.~

Amara Simmons has always fantasized about having two lovers but believes it is just that: a fantasy. She likes her men “gifted”, if you know what I mean. At the suggestion of a friend she registers for an online dating website for well-endowed men called betterthan8.com. She believes nothing will come of her site membership but after months of flirting online via email and instant messaging, she’s shocked to discover that she’s fallen for a gorgeous Latin man that has the potential to be her everything – except he never calls and she has no idea why. Nursing a broken heart she is totally unprepared to meet her would-be Latin lover in person much less at the negotiation table of a multi-million dollar real estate deal. In Puerto Rico, passion ignites. Promises are finally fulfilled and the lines of reality blur when her fantasy finally blooms to life. Can Amara have it all: the deal, the man, and the fantasy?

I was contacted by the author and given a copy of Better Than Eight for review. I really liked Amara’s story. She is a strong woman overall who really only had one questionable choice – keeping in contact with an ex who is now married to another woman. He also still thinks he and Amara should be bed buddies.

Amara joins the dating site betterthan8 to hopefully find a new man and to know he will be enough to give her pleasure. She “meets” Sevastien and they are instantly attracted and have major chemistry from the beginning. Then Amara’s ex and friends make her leery of Sevastien and they break off communication. Only due to a business deal do they finally meet in person. When Amara and Sevastien are finally together, it is super sexy and erotic.

I was a bit thrown by his roommate, who was a man, and the ménage that happened. However, once I got over my initial shock, it did work with the characters and the story. I really enjoyed Better Than Eight and look forward to reading more books by Erin Jamison in the future.

Good Girls Don't

2011-08-28T07:00:00.001-05:00

Good Girls Don’t is the 1^st book in the Donovan Brothers Brewery series by Victoria Dahl. Fromthe back cover.~

With her long ponytail and sparkling green eyes, Tessa Donavan looks more like the girl next door than a businesswoman – or a heartbreaker. Which may explain why Detective Luke Asher barely notices here when he arrives to investigate a break-in at her family’s brewery. He’s got his own problems – starting with the fact that his partner Simone is pregnant and everyone thinks he’s the father. The last thing he needs is a nice girl like Tessa getting under his skin.

Tessa has her hands full too. Her brother’s playboy ways may be threatening the business, and the tensions could tear her tight-knit family apart. In fact, the only think that could unite the Donovan boys is seeing a man come after their “baby” sister. Especially as man like Luke Asher. But Tessa sees past the rumors to the man beneath.

I own many books by Victoria Dahl, yet somehow Good Girls Don’t is the first one of her books I’ve read. My friend Katiebabs was nice enough to pick up an early copy for me at BEA in May. I can say right now, while Good Girls Don't is my first Victoria Dahl book, it will not be my last.

I loved Good Girls Don’t! Many times throughout the book I actually laughed so hard I almost cried. Tessa is such a funny character (I love she says “balls” when something goes wrong). She is the peace-keeper between her brothers Eric and Jamie. When Jamie messes up once again, she will do anything in her power to fix things without Eric finding out about Jamie’s latest mistake.

Both Jamie and Eric try to warn Tessa away from Luke because of his past. People only know the half-truths about things that went on in his life, but Tessa is really only looking for a good time at first, so she ignores the rumors. It was really funny to watch big brothers Eric and Jamie realize their “baby” sister was all grown up and capable of an adult relationship.

The only thing I didn’t love about the book was Tessa trying to cover up Jamie’s mistake. Jamie should have been man enough to stand up to his little sister and tell their brother Eric the truth. The rest of the book was awesome and I can’t wait to read the next 2 books in this series. The actual release date for Good Girls Don't is August 30, 2011. Bad Boys Do is Jamie’s story and set for release in October (I’m thinking lat Sept), and we get Eric’s story, Real Men Will, in November (hoping late Oct).

Week 4 Weight Watchers Update

2011-08-27T07:54:00.003-05:00

So week 4 wasn't as great as the first 3 weeks. I had a bit of a setback and gained 1 pound. Now, I'm not overly surprised by the gain. I wasn't as worried about keeping within my daily points. In fact, I went over my points most days. I didn't use all my weekly points allowed, but still went over my daily points too many days. I also didn't make the time to exercise each day. In fact, other than moving boxes on last Sunday, I really didn't have any other exercise for the entire week.

Time to get back to being really strict with myself on what I eat and get back to upping my activity daily. I will go over my points today, as I'm meeting friends for dinner at a restaurant that really doesn't have any WW friendly items. Must make up for that over the next 6 days and get back on track.

As much as I feel like I failed this week, I'm not letting myself call this a failure, rather I hit a bump in the road this week. Now to get back to doing what I know I need to do. I still need to register for the Franklin Classic 5K for Labor Day. I haven't trained well, but will walk/run the race and cross the finish line, which is the whole point.

Changing the Game

2011-08-26T20:06:00.002-05:00

Changing the Game is book two in the Play-by-Play series by Jaci Burton. From the author’s website.~

Most people play by the rules. Gavin and Liz aren't most people...

Win at any cost. That's always been the mantra of sports agent Liz Darnell. When she carries things too far and risks losing her number-one client, baseball pro Gavin Riley, Liz realizes that she'll have to work extra innings to win him back. It might not be too much of a stretch. She's had a thing for this player's moves since she first laid eyes on him, and by the looks of it, he wants her just as bad.

Gavin's more than ready—especially when Liz is offering herself as part of the bargain. And as much of her as Gavin wants. For added thrills, he decides to throw a little curve ball Liz's way to see just how far she's truly willing to go to keep him as a client. But when love unexpectedly enters the playing field, neither Liz nor Gavin are ready for the biggest game-changer of them all.

I am a huge fan of the Play-by-Play series by Jaci. The Perfect Play, the first book in the series, is one of my favorite reads this year. I have to say that I loved Changing the Game even more. There was just something about Gavin that pulled me in during The Perfect Play. Maybe it was because he seemed like such a bad boy next to his perfect brother, Mick. Liz really messed up with Mick at the end of The Perfect Play. So much so, she lost him as a client and wasn’t sure she wouldn’t lose Gavin as a client too.

Liz has been in love with Gavin from the first time she saw him. However, she has never acted on those feelings until she kissed Gavin at the end of The Perfect Play. Gavin always thought Liz was sexy, but never thought she would ever be more than his agent. Add a little too much alcohol one night and mix in a night of amazing sex, and the game changes completely. Gavin gets Liz to agree to stay at his house with him during Spring Training and they spend pretty much every hour of the day together. Liz even makes friends with a couple of the player’s wives and has girlfriends for the first time in her life.

Liz is very cautious about her feelings because of her past. Gavin has played the field for so many years he doesn’t seem to realize how much Liz means to him until it is almost too late. We get to spend time with Gavin’s family once again in this book. I love the Riley clan…well, all but Mick in this book. He really wouldn’t let go of his anger towards Liz. I’m not saying he didn’t have a reason to be angry, but once she apologized and fixed the situation, he needed to man up and stop being an ass. Hell, even Tara and Nathan had forgiven Liz and Mick continued to be a total ass to her. When the Riley family has to deal with a major medical drama, Liz and Gavin and their relationship is really put to the test. Liz is put in the position of telling Gavin he needs to return to work when all he wants to do is stay home and watch over his family. Mick throws more doubt at Gavin about Liz’s motives and Gavin messes up so bad, I don’t know that I would have forgiven him. However, Gavin does find a way to step up to the plate and make things right.

I loved Gavin and Liz together so much. They both are such strong characters, yet have vulnerability underneath. Jaci gives her readers another winner filled with smoking-hot sex and lots of romance. We also get to meet some of Gavin’s teammates and even a new client of Liz’s. With all these new characters being introduced, I’m hoping we will get many more books in the Play-by-Play series in the future.

Taking a Shot is the next book in the Play-by-Play series and it is set to be released on March 6, 2012. Taking a Shot will be about Jenna Riley, Mick’s and Gavin’s sister, and hockey player Tyler Anderson, who we met for the first time in Changing the Game.

The Renfield Syndrome

2011-08-23T19:22:00.001-05:00

The Renfield Syndrome is the 2^nd book in The Rhiannon’s Law series by J.A. Saare. From the author’s website.~

Vampires, and werewolves, and demons, oh my.

Rhiannon thought facing off against a deranged child vampire was the most dangerous task she would ever have to undertake, but she’s about to discover making a deal with a demon is far, far worse. Sent forward into another reality, one in which vampires are now dominating nearly extinct humans, she realizes the sooner she returns to her vampire lover, Disco, the better.

Unfortunately, time changes a lot of things; including those most trusted around her. When she’s faced with a loss and betrayal unlike any she has ever known, her focus shifts from severing the debt between the demon that wants to kill her, to exacting a revenge that will bring forth consequences she never could have fathomed. By reaching out to the darkness lingering within her, she’ll find the strength to push forward despite the circumstances that would see her dead and buried.

After all, when it’s all said and done, all that she has left to lose is her soul.

I really don’t want to post any spoilers, so I’m going to be very limited in what I say about The Renfield Syndrome. I have been waiting to see what happened to Rhiannon since Jamie threw us the big twist at the end of Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between (which I absolutely loved, by the way). Not only was Rhiannon’s new world completely different from the one she left behind, but she immediately is thrown into a situation where she has very little control. We get to spend time with some of the vampires from DUOSIB, and also get to meet some new characters. Carter is the one that stands out with me the most. He and his pack offer to help keep Rhiannon safe from the vampires of the future, even when she wants to go find Disco and his friends, Goose(Ethan) and Paine. In fact, Carter intrigues me so much, I really hope we get to see more of him in the future.

Saare throws more twist and turns at her readers with The Renfield Syndrome, and only has me wanting to read the next book in this series even more. The Ripple Effect will be the 3^rd book in The Rhiannon’s Law series, and I believe it hopefully will be released in early 2012.

Week 3 Weight Watchers Update

2011-08-21T15:57:00.003-05:00

So in week 3 of Weight Watchers, I started craving certain items I'd been without for the last few weeks. One thing I wanted more than anything was french fries. I did my weigh-in on Saturday morning and had lost another 2 pounds. That's right, in 3 weeks I've lost 7 POUNDS!!! I'm hoping to keep this rate up, until my Vegas trip. If I can pull this off, I would have lost close to 20 pounds in 7 weeks. BTW, my one cheat item of the week was an order of chili-cheese fries yesterday for lunch.

I'm upping my activity goal for the week. I got my bookshelves in order yesterday. I finished getting the last few books put away this morning. However, moving boxes of books equals lots of activity points. I earned 3 on Saturday and 2 today moving boxes out to my aunt's car. With temps hopefully dropping this week, I'll be able to run/walk some outside. If the weather doesn't get any cooler, I'll stick to the elliptical again this week.

I will say it is getting easier to pick healthier food. I even had lunch with my aunt today at Logan's and went with the health nut meal to cut down on calories and fat, and even skipped the rolls and sweet potato. I am craving chocolate more this week, but luckily have some Fiber One brownies to get me by.

Jennifer's Garden

2011-08-14T19:25:00.002-05:00

Jennifer’s Garden is the debut novel by Dianne Venetta. From the author’s website.~

In a race against time, cardiologist Jennifer Hamilton is caught between her mother’s dying wish and taking the risk of a lifetime with Jackson Montgomery. He’s the man hired to complete the landscaping for her new home; the venue for her upcoming wedding. Jackson’s everything she never wanted in a man, but as the job progresses, his lure pulls strong. It’s an attraction she cannot deny.

And one that puts her career on the line.

I was contacted by the author through twitter and offered a review copy of Jennifer’s Garden. After reading the blurb on the author’s website, I knew I wanted to read it. I love all genres of romance, but contemporary romances were the first ones I read and still hold a special place in my heart. Jennifer’s Garden is a fabulous contemporary romance.

I loved so many of the characters in this story. Jennifer was a bit up-tight as the story began, but she had so much pressure on her, I gave her a pass. I absolutely loved Jennifer’s mom. She was still so positive, even as she knew her life was coming to an end. I also got a big kick out of Jennifer’s best friend Sam. She is the friend every woman needs in their life and only a few of us are lucky enough to actually have her in our life. When Jennifer’s Garden begins, Jennifer is engaged to be married to Aurello, who is in the process of opening a new art gallery. Jennifer is on the search for a landscaper to finish her yard so she and Aurello can be married in her garden, which is her mother’s final wish. Enter Jackson Montgomery, who I loved from the moment he appeared on the page (maybe I was picturing sexy Jackson Montgomery from AMC at first). Jennifer is a bit ugly to him in the beginning, because she first meets him as a bartender at a friend’s party and doesn’t think he is more than just a bartender. He soon proves he is an amazing landscaping artist.

Maybe because I met Jackson, Jax to his friends, first I liked him so much more than Jennifer’s fiancé Aurello. I didn’t like Aurello from the moment he appeared in the story. He didn’t really do anything outright to make me dislike him, but something about him just seemed off to me. I think it’s because everything had to be about what he wanted. Never once did I see him worry about what others around him wanted, not even Jennifer. Luckily, Jennifer sees him for who he really is before she makes a huge mistake. Even better, she and Jax have become closer as he has worked each day at her house. Although there have still been misunderstandings between them, both have very strong feeling for each other.

I really loved Jennifer’s Garden and look forward to reading more books by Dianne Venetta. I’m especially excited for her next book, Lust on the Rocks, which is Jennifer’s best friend Samantha’s story.

Week 2 Weight Watchers Update

2011-08-14T11:54:00.002-05:00

So I lost another 1.8 pounds this week. My total weight loss for my first two weeks on Weight Watchers is 5 pounds!!! Didn't make the time to get on the elliptical this week, and I think that kept me from losing more weight.

I went to the grocery store this morning and bought more fresh fruits and veggies for the week. I've started only buying enough food for one week at a time, so I always have fresh food. I would really love to lose another 10 pounds before my Vegas trip at the end of September, so I'm going with as much power food on WW as I can, so I can still have snacks, yet keep within my point+ available each day.

2011-08-11T19:02:00.002-05:00

Called Home: Two Hearts Answer is the debut novel by Gloria Schumann. From the author’s website.~

SYNOPSIS

Emma Benson's view of life was crafted as a child by the death of her brother, the abandonment by her father and later, the man she trusted she would marry. A teacher by training, she forgoes her chosen path to save the Wisconsin farm she calls home from financial ruin.

A tornado threatens damage, but David Schlosser—back in town after years in New York writing best-selling novels—could ruin her neatly tended life. He's looking for the charms of the small town he once rejected and finds more than he bargained for. He risks everything to get what he wants.

The storms of life throw Emma and David together and into the world of a criminal determined to ruin their plans by any means necessary. Robbery and near death connect Emma and David to their nemesis and during the throes of securing life and limb they make every effort to resist falling for one another.

I was sent a copy of Called Home: Two Hearts Answer for review by the author. I enjoyed the story and really liked both Emma and David a great deal. Schumann gives her readers a sweet romance with a really great mystery thrown into the mix. I’m pretty good about figuring out the bad guy usually, and was partly right in my guess.

I also liked watching Emma and David fall for one another. David is sure of himself very early in the story, while Emma fights her attraction to David for some time due to a past bad romance. I read all genres of romance, and was drawn into this sweet romance from the beginning. I did question Emma taking so long to admit her feelings, but understood her hesitancy based on her history.

When Gloria contacted me about reviewing her book, I asked her to answer a few questions for my blog.

LB: When did you start writing?

GS: I started writing in the Spring of 2008. I can't believe it's been over three years already, but then again, a lot has happened in the meantime, and I look forward to even more taking place in the future.

LB: Who is your biggest supporter of you writing?

GS: My husband, Paul, was my first & biggest fan. When I began writing, it was on a trial & secretive basis. I told no one. Not even him. I figured if I looked at it & it wanted to make me throw up, no one would be the wiser, but if, in fact, was tolerable, I would show it to the most trusted person in my life, with orders to, pleeeaaase tell me if it is in fact crap. He would read a couple chapters at a time when I had them completed & give me comments. One day after a few times of doing so, he left it for me on the table the next morning with a note on it stating, "You've got a real talent for this, keep it up." I was sold. That first book was self-published & one I consider a practice book.

LB: How did you celebrate your first published book?

GS: When I signed the contract, I happened to be at my parents' house 1500 miles from home with my family. We broke out a couple bottles of good wine, some special cheese & crackers & had a good time dreaming about the future. It was fabulous. I like quiet, easy celebrations with family. They're the best.

LB: Who is your favorite author/writer (you can name more than one if you can’t pick just one)?

GS: That parentheses part is for me. I definitely don't like naming favorites for anything, let alone authors. I'm going to have to go with Nicholas Sparks & Nora Roberts, since they're the ones that got me hooked on reading in the first place and, in turn, writing. Would also have to throw in Stephanie Meyer. You can see I go for the emotion of love through writing. I just love it when an author can give me that tingle just from a set of words. Amazing!

LB: Describe your typical day.

GS: In summer is a bad time to ask me. There isn't much typical about any given day in summer. They're pretty distinguishable from each other. During the school year, there is a lot more of a schedule, and I use that word only in the most atypical way, but only because of my kids school day. I've never been much of a schedule person, but have been pondering the virtues of instituting one for myself this coming school year. I get a bit obsessive with things. So, I'll start promoting & spend the whole day doing that & nothing else. Or I'll get in a real rhythm of writing & not want to stop for anything. That one's a bit more understandable, but I'll let you know somewhere down the road how that all goes.

LB: What story(ies) are you currently working on?

GS: I'm in between at the moment. I have "Twisted Tree" into the publisher as we speak & I'm in the thinking stage of the next project. "Twisted Tree" is the story of Kate, cousin of Emma from "Called Home", who finds herself wishing her life would go somewhere, but winds up in a place she would never have imagined. Taking care of an eight year old, orphaned girl having had no experience with children, not even babysitting & no husband for support. Kate wonders how her life got so messed up & she wonders if it will ever get straightened out to her liking. Of course, Jared, a famous artist, comes along to add to the mayhem of her life. Will he put it in order? Or will he just further scramble the pieces of her already screwed up life? Why, oh why, did she ever wish for change? Someone should have stopped her.

Book Video by Tessa Dare

2011-08-10T18:16:00.003-05:00

Operation Auction has some pretty amazing things up for grabs earlier this year. One of the best was the book trailer Tessa Dare offered up using her children's toys. Maya Banks was the winning bidder and today was the premier of the video for Maya's upcoming series The McCabe Trilogy.

From Dareling Room Productions:

http://youtu.be/Vn67JJmhZ9w

Seriously one of the best and funniest book videos I've ever seen.

Into the Night

2011-08-06T19:45:00.002-05:00

Into the Night is the first book in The Reliance Group series by Janelle Denison. From the author’s website.~

A former Marine and Las Vegas vice copy, Nathan Fox has seen it all and then some. Heading up security for the Onyx Casino is tame compared to his past, but it's not his only job. Working for The Reliance Group is his real passion project. His current case: a missing woman. His mission: to find her. But soon Nathan must deal with a stubborn, and stunning, journalist who's nosed her way into the investigation . . . and into Nathan's fantasies.

To reporter Nicole Hutton, exposing a ruthless, twisted criminal who abuses vulnerable teens isn't just a job. In fact, this story has become very personal, especially now that she's gotten tangled up with sexy Nathan Fox. But before she can break the story, and help rescue a missing girl, she and Nathan must brave the labyrinth of Vegas's dark underbelly . . . where the heat simmering between them is about to burst into flames.

I’m a huge fan of Janelle Denison. I was so excited when Into the Night came out, as it had been over a year since I had read a new Janelle Denison book. All I can say is Into the Night was well worth the wait. I loved both Nicole and Nathan from the beginning. Neither is looking for someone special in their lives, but they can’t resist the instant attraction they feel for one another. Of course, after that one night, Nathan is certain he will never see Nicole again.

Everything changes because of the case Nathan has been assigned. Both are now on a mission to protect young girls because of separate incidents in their past. Only by working together can they possibly rescue and return a young girl to her family. The chemistry between Nathan and Nicole only grows stronger as the story progresses. They made a great team not only as a couple, but as investigators. Both are such strong characters and I also loved meeting other members of The Reliance Group as well.

Janelle Denison gives her readers a great romantic suspense story with Into the Night. In my opinion, a wonderful first book for The Reliance Group series. The second book in the series, Night After Night, is scheduled for release in October 2011 and is already on my to-be-bought list. I actually have been given an ARC from the author and will do a feature on Night After Night for the October release.

Week 1 Weight Watchers Update

2011-08-06T08:01:00.002-05:00

So I made it through my first full week on the Weight Watchers plan using the new points+ plan. I didn't get to exercise as much as I would have liked (only managed 2 days of exercise), but I stuck the the points+ as best I could.

Results: I LOST 3.2 POUNDS!!!

I know I can do this now! I plan on exercising more this week and hope I can continue to have such great results this week too. Off to buy more fruits and veggies at the store today.

Sweet Tea & Secrets

2011-08-01T18:29:00.001-05:00

Sweet Tea & Secrets is the first book in the Adams Grove series by Nancy Naigle. From the back cover.~

Adams Grove is mourning the loss of Pearl Clemmons, know for her award-winning chocolate pecan pie and the best unsolicited advice in the county.

When Jill returns to settle her grandmother’s estate, she’s greeted by a Clydesdale-sized guardian dog who doesn’t seem to be earning his stripes (although he drools on them pretty well), and Garrett Mallory, the ex-fiancé she left behind a year ago.

Jill insists on staying at Pearl’s amidst a string of break-ins that have sleepy Adams Grove wide awake and locking its doors. Jill’s past with Garrett becomes the least of her worries when she learns that their lives are in danger. She is the only person standing between a desperate conman and a secret from Pearl’s past.

Will Pearl’s past kill any chance of Jill and Garrett’s future together?

I met Nancy at the Lori Foster get together at the beginning of June. After spending time with Nancy and reading the back cover of Sweet Tea & Secrets, I knew I wanted to give this book a try. The story opens with Jill coming home for Pearl’s surprise birthday party, so we do get a glimpse of Pearl before she passes away. She was one feisty lady and I grieved with Jill and everyone else in Adams Grove at her passing.

I loved both Jill and Garrett. Both are really strong characters, even if Jill stumbles a bit before she realizes how strong she is. I also loved Pearl’s dog Clyde. There is just something about a huge drooling dog that always puts a smile on my face. I loved all the townspeople from Adams Grove. Kind of made me think of the small town I’m originally from. The only character I really didn’t like was Bradley, Jill’s new boyfriend. Something seemed off about him from the beginning.

I really enjoyed Sweet Tea & Secrets. You could feel the tension between Jill and Garrett from the very first time they appear together. I loved watching their romance rekindle as they worked together to solve the mystery of Pearl’s past. I did figure out something was off with Bradley from the start, but exactly what was off was a surprise to me. If you are looking for a sweet and fun mystery/romance, Sweet Tea & Secrets is the perfect read.

Diet and Exercise Update

2011-07-28T18:49:00.003-05:00

I know I've been a bit quiet lately. I took a few days off work in the last couple of weeks to go hang out with my cousins. They live about 2 hours from me and have a pool in their backyard. Now it has felt like it is 150* in Nashville for the last few weeks, so the idea of hanging by the pool for a few days sounded great. I was great, even if it felt even hotter there than it does here. Granted floating around in the pool for a few hours really does make it easier to deal with the heat index.

Of course, when I got home I realized how out of control I've let my diet and exercise routine get...maybe lack of diet and exercise routine is a better description. So to help get me back on track, I re-joined Weight Watchers this week. Now the new points+ system is taking some getting used to. I knew many of the old point values on some of my favorite items. Now those numbers are all out the window. I'm up for the challenge. I would love to lose at least 15 pounds before my Vegas trip at the end of Sept. If I'm really careful with food and stick to my exercise program, I'll be there. So now, I have it set up to use my elliptical 3-4 days a week and run 2-3 days each week. I'll mostly be on the elliptical until the temps drop a little. I'm also training for the Franklin Classic 5K for Labor Day, so I need to make sure I'm doing interval training even when on my elliptical. I'm sure my neighbors will love me when I workout at 4:30 in the morning, but mornings are best for me to stick to a workout schedule. Running will take place on the weekends for the next little bit, with 1 run after work each week.

My goal is to be down 20 pounds by the time I turn 40 at the end of October. So tomorrow is my last day to eat junk. After that I'm sticking to my WW diet very closely. Wish me luck, as I love junk food probably more than most teenagers.

Too Hot To Touch

2011-07-19T19:52:00.003-05:00

Too Hot To Touch is the first book in the Legendary Lovers trilogy by Julie Leto. From the back cover.~

The spirit of a masked legend lives on…

Art expert Alex Aguilar is an honest man. When he inherits an auction house dealing in shady merchandise, he's desperate to catalog everything before the goods tarnish his sterling reputation. But even if the merchandise isn't exactly hot, his scorching new assistant, Lucienne Bonet, definitely is. Too bad his pesky moral code means he has to keep his hands off…or does he?

Lucienne isn't quite what she seems. She's a thief and she's after a very valuable ring that once belonged to a legendary masked hero…Alex's ancestor. But as Alex deliciously undoes her plans— and her clothes—Lucienne realizes that eventually, her mask will have to come off, too!

I actually won this trilogy from Julie on an auction earlier this year. I’ve been waiting for what seems like months to read this series and was so excited when I received Too Hot To Touch in the mail.

I loved Too Hot To Touch so much! Alex is the first born son to Ramon Murrieta and half brother to Ramon’s son Michael. Alex is also related to a legendary masked hero through his father. Lucienne Bonet, whose real name is Lucy Burnett, has taken a job at El Dorado Auction House to help out her foster brother Danny, who also happens to be half brother to Alex and Michael. Alex and Lucienne are attracted to one another from the first time the meet. However, Alex doesn’t believe in mixing business with pleasure, so he fires Lucienne before they take their relationship to a more personal level.

I love both Alex and Lucy (I see her as a Lucy more than a Lucienne). Both put family first. Lucy with Danny and Alex with Michael and his mother. However, neither can seem to keep their hands off the other once they share their first explosive kiss. In fact, Lucy and Alex have one of the sexiest shower scenes I’ve ever read. As Lucy’s past comes to light, Alex must decide if he can accept her for who she is.

Too Hot To Touch is a super sexy Blaze release and July 19, 2011 is the release date. Can be ordered from your favorite online retailer, your local bookstore, and even Wal-Mart and Target. Since this is the 10 year anniversary of Harlequin Blaze, Julie’s first Blaze book Exposed is included in the 10^th anniversary edition.

Cold Touch

2011-07-13T07:23:00.006-05:00

Cold Touch is the newest release by Leslie Parrish. From the back cover.~

Since being gifted-or cursed-with her ability to touch a lifeless body and relive the victim's final moments, Olivia Wainwright has died a hundred deaths. She hears the screams, tastes the fear, and feels the excruciating pain-and every glimpse into this darkness draws her deeper into danger.

Now she's met a man who offers her a glimmer of light. Savannah detective Gabe cooper might look like a sexy good old boy, but his laid-back attitude hides a sharp mind and a protective heart. He doesn't believe in psychics-until he meets Olivia and sees firsthand how her dark gift ravages her spirit.

As their bond deepens, Olivia will have to choose between her cold gift and the warmth Gabe provides. But her past is catching up with her, and Gabe can't refuse when she needs his help solving a crime that's haunted her for over a decade: her own murder.

I've loved Leslie Parrish's books since I read Fade to Black, the first book in her Black CATs series. I loved the Black CATs books and have said repeatedly I want more. I also love her Extrasensory Agents books and loved Cold Sight, the first book in the series. That being said, I really think Cold Touch is my favorite Leslie Parrish book ever.

I loved both of the main characters so much. Olivia's "gift" give me chills. I can't imagine willingly touching a dead body to experience the last 2 minutes and 10 seconds of that person's life to see how they died. Gabe is so protective of everyone around him. He and Olivia are attracted to one another from their very first meeting. Once Gabe realized he had real feelings for Olivia, his protection mode went into overdrive.

I also loved Gabe's partner Ty and Olivia's co-workers and her sister. In fact, I would love to see some of the secondary characters get books in the future. I don't want to post any spoilers about this book. I can only say I felt so many different emotions as I read this story. I cheered Olivia and Gabe on from the very beginning. I laughed out loud a few times, and cried like a baby at other times. I really thought I had the bad guy figured out with about 100 pages left, but was off the mark. I love that Leslie kept me guessing and I still had to wait for the reveal.

Cold Touch is one of the best books I've read all year. It is filled with suspense, action, and romance. I personally and hoping and praying we get more books from Leslie Parrish in the future!

Leslie Parrish Winners

2011-07-11T07:51:00.003-05:00

I selected the 2 winners using random.org. Congratulations to #23 Kristin and #29 Brenda Hyde. I'll send out an email to you both to get your snail mail addresses and forward them to Leslie.

Thanks for everyone who posted a comment. I'm currently reading Cold Touch and can only say if you didn't win, it is so worth going out and buying a copy of your own.

Skyrockets in Flight Blog Hop Delight

2011-07-03T23:59:00.002-05:00

I’ve been a fan of Leslie Kelly’s books for years. She writes super sexy contemporary romances with fabulous characters. Two years ago she started writing psychological suspenseful books as Leslie Parrish. I love her Leslie Kelly books and still buy them as soon as they are released. However, I truly believe Leslie found her voice with her Leslie Parrish books.

The first series of books Leslie Parrish released were the Black CATs novels. The three books in this series are Fade to Black, Pitch Black, and Black at Heart. I loved each and every one of these books and I’m still very hopeful we will get more books in the Black CATs series (really want Brandon’s book so much).

The Extrasensory Agents series came out last year. The first book in the series is Cold Sight and is a little darker than the Black CATs books. I loved it from page 1 and wanted more as soon as I was finished reading. On July 5, the newest Extrasensory Agents book is released. The newest book in the series is Cold Touch. Here is the blurb from the author’s website. ~

Since being gifted--or cursed--with her ability to touch a lifeless body and relive the victim's final moments, Olivia Wainwright has died a hundred deaths. She hears the screams, tastes the fear; feels the excruciating pain--and every glimpse into this darkness draws her deeper into danger.

Now, though, she's met a man who offers a glimmer of light. Savannah Detective Gabe Cooper might look like a sexy good-old-boy, but his laid-back attitude hides a sharp mind and a protective heart. He doesn't believe in psychics--until he meets Olivia and sees firsthand how her dark gift ravages her spirit.
As their bond deepens, Olivia will have to choose between her cold gift and the warmth Gabe provides. But her past is catching up with her, and Gabe can't refuse when she needs his help solving a crime that's haunted her for over a decade...her own murder.

I’m giving away 2 copies of Cold Touch during the blog hop. Hope new readers fall in love with her books as much as I have. The giveaway is open from July 4 -10 and I’ll draw winners from all of the comments during that time. Due to shopping cost, this giveaway is open to the US only (sorry).

Uncommon Criminals

2011-06-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Uncommon Criminals is the second book in Ally Carter’s wonderful Heist Society series. From the inside cover.~

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long-and in Kat’s world, history always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is…the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend-the gorgeous Hale-and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

I’m a huge fan of Ally Carter’s YA books. I love both her Gallagher Girl series and her Heist Society series. Her readers are given another winner with Uncommon Criminals. I was lucky enough to have a friend pick me up a copy of Uncommon Criminals at BEA at the end of May, so I got to read it a couple of weeks early (thanks katibabs).

I loved Uncommon Criminals. We get to spend time with some of my favorite characters (Kat, Hale, Gabrielle, Simon, and of course Uncle Eddie). As Uncommon Criminals starts out, Kat has distanced herself from her crew. They all get back together once she is asked to steal the Cleopatra emerald. Everything is very fast paced from the moment the Cleopatra emerald enters the picture. Kat and her crew must pull out all the stops to right the latest wrong. We get to see Kat at both her best and her worst while the team works to figure out their next move. Only with Kat’s entire team working together, can they pull off the greatest heist in history. We also get some pretty awesome flirting between Kat and Hale (yes I feel a bit like a cougar for the crush I have on Hale…don’t judge me, he is super cute), and Kat even makes a pretty big move.

The official release date for Uncommon Criminals is June 21, 2011. I love that I was able to read Uncommon Criminals early. Of course, that means I have a longer wait for my next Ally Carter book. Luckily, the next book in her Gallagher Girl series will be released on March 20, 2012, so I have less than a year to wait for my next fix.

Dragon Bound

2011-06-19T10:43:00.002-05:00

Dragon Bound is the first book in Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series. From the back cover.~

Half human and half Wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the Wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their Dark Fae enemies. But after being black-mailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful-and passionate-of the Elder Races.

As the most feared and respected of the Wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they’ve ignited in each other.

Pia knows she must repay Dragos for her trespass, but refuses to become his slave-although she cannot deny wanting him, body and soul…

I had heard and seen lots of people talking about Dragon Bound on twitter and finally ordered it for my kindle. I trust all my twitter friends who were talking about it, so I started reading it as soon as I had it downloaded. All I can say is thank you to all my twitter friends!

I’ve never really been a big fan of dragons, but all that changed when Dragos first appeared on the page. Dragos is very Alpha and I loved everything about him. Pia was totally kick-ass and I loved how she worked so hard to protect herself, and even Dragos once she admitted her feelings for him. Both Pia and Dragos are such strong individuals. Dragos has to learn to accept Pia has her own opinions, and won’t just do whatever Dragos tells her to do when he tells her to do it. Pia has to learn to accept that Dragos really does just want to keep her safe.

Love so many of the secondary characters from this book too, and can’t wait to get each of their stories. With Storm’s Heart, we will get Tricks’ book in August, and we will get Rune’s book, Serpent’s Kiss in October. Thea Harrison’s Elders Race series has some of the best characters I’ve read about in a long time. Most books I read have one or two characters I like, might even love. With Dragon Bound, I found a book where I loved the two main characters and most of the secondary characters. Absolutely loved this book and am counting down the days until I can read the next books in the series.