Instant Attraction

Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis is the first book in her Wilder brothers series. From the back cover.~

The first in a sensational new series, Jill Shalvis introduces Cameron, Stone, and T.J. Wilder-three bad-boy heroes who effortlessly mix breathtaking adventure and scorching sex appeal…

GET WILD…AND THEN GET WILDER…

Accountant Katie Kramer is a quintessential good girl-working hard, recycling diligently, all the while trying to ignore the feeling that she doesn’t fit in anywhere. That’s all she wants. Well, that-and amazing sex, and the kind of daredevil escapade she can look back on when she’s crunching numbers in a dusty cubicle. Which explains why she just took a job in Wishful, California, working for Wilder Adventures and Expeditions. Waking up to find a magnificently built stranger towering over her bed-that part defies explanation…

After wandering the planet for months following a life-changing accident, Cameron Wilder has come back to the only home he knows. Under other circumstances, he might be thrilled to find a gorgeous woman sleeping in his cabin, but now, while he’ll risk his body taking clients on adrenaline-drenched excursions, his heart is off limits. Still, Katie’s killer smile triggers something deep in his gut…among other places. Showing her how exhilarating it can be to stop balancing her life as if it was a checkbook is the biggest rush he’s ever felt-and an adventure Katie’s wishing would never end…

Instant Attraction is another winner from Jill Shalvis. I loved the chemistry between Cameron and Katie. They truly are instantly attracted to one another when Cameron comes home and finds Katie sleeping in his bed. Both come with baggage due to life threatening accidents. While Cameron has become more cautious, Katie is more of a daredevil now. She is pretty much willing to try anything, even when it scares her. While both fight their attraction in the beginning, it is well worth the wait when they finally give in to their desires for each other.

I love all of Jill's books, and actually put off reading this series until all 3 would be out, so I didn’t have to wait long between stories. I have Instant Gratification in my TBR pile and I’m picking up Instant Temptation at the bookstore this weekend. Jill Shalvis is another one of my auto-buy authors and she always delivers the goods with her funny and hot stories.

Giving Up the "V"

Giving Up the “V” is a Young Adult novel by Serena Robar. From the back cover.~

What’s so wrong with waiting?

Spencer Davis just turned sixteen. But unlike most hormonal teenagers who seem obsessed with sex-like her entire crew of friends-Spencer just doesn’t get it. She’d rather wait for the right guy and the right moment. But that moment may be arriving sooner than she’d thought.

Enter Benjamin Hopkins, a new transfer student who seems to have his eyes on our V-card-carrying heroine. He’s gorgeous, funny, suave, athletic, and capable of making Spencer’s knees wobble with a single glance. Spencer has never felt this way about anyone before, but is Ben truly V-worthy?

I had read a bit about Giving Up the “V” online and was excited when it finally became available at the library. I liked Giving Up the “V” and it really made me remember some of my own friends in high school. Spencer has a group of friends called “the crew” and she is always the go-to person for advice. On her sixteenth birthday, rather than a big sweet 16 party, her mom takes for her first GYN appointment to get put on the pill. Spencer is pretty much the only one of her friends not obsessed with thoughts of having sex, so she really isn’t too excited about her birthday gift from her mom. That is until Ben Hopkins shows up at school. Spencer has never been so attracted to anyone, and even thinks maybe Ben is V-worthy. Of course, her best friend Alyssa also thinks Ben is totally V-worthy and decides she wants to lose her V-card to Ben at the Winter Formal. Spencer finally admits to Alyssa that she really likes Ben and like any teenage girls, there is anger at first, but then they make up. When Alyssa, who had a list of guys who where V-worthy, picks their friend Zack for her date to formal, Spencer starts to wonder if Ben is really V-worthy. When Zack and Ben get into a fight at the formal, Spencer finally sees Ben for who he really is and sees Zack in a whole new light.

I’ll admit I did laugh a few times in this book. This was my first book by Serena Robar and I liked Giving Up the “V” and look forward to reading more books by Robar in the future.

Something About You

Something About You is the newest contemporary romance by Julie James. From the back cover.~

FATE HAS THROWN TWO SWORN ENEMIES…

Of all the hotel rooms rented by all the adulterous politicians in Chicago, female Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde had to choose the one next to 1308, where some hot-and-heavy lovemaking ends with a death. And of all the FBI agents in Illinois, it had to be Special Agent Jack Pallas who gets assigned to this high-profile homicide. The same Jack Pallas who still blames Cameron for a botched crackdown three years ago-and for nearly ruining his career…

…INTO EACH OTHER’S ARMS

Work with Cameron Lynde? Are they kidding? Maybe, Jack thinks, this is some kind of welcome-back prank after his stint away from Chicago. But it’s no joke; the pair is going to have to put their rocky past behind them and focus on the case at hand. That is, if they can cut back on the razor-sharp jibes-and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension…

Julie James is an auto-buy author for me and she delivers again with Something About You. I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve ready by Julie James, but think maybe Something About You might just be my favorite. Cameron and Jack have the best chemistry, and it was funny to watch them both fight their attraction to one another. They end up having to work together to keep Cameron safe and figure out who is after her. With a bit of mystery and lots of romance, Something About You is one of the best books I've read this year.

I’m a huge Julie James fan and love that she is one of the authors who has brought back the contemporary romance. I pretty much love every genre of romance that is out there, but I got started with contemporaries, so they always hold a special place in my heart. I highly suggest any Julie James novel to anyone who loves contemporary romances.

Doctor's Appointment & Reading Update

I went to see the medical oncologist yesterday and due to my history of ovarian cyst, she wants to get with my OB/GYN before we pick a course of action. The medicine she wants to put me on would basically be an estrogen blocker, but since I have to stay on the pill, not sure it would really work right. So for now, she is going to do a bit more research and talk with all my doctors to see if we will just do multiple mammograms a year or treat with meds as well. I go back in 6 weeks, unless she calls first with a course of treatment. I'll update more once I talk to my doctor. I really liked that she wanted to look into it more before just putting me on another medication.

As for reading, I've been doing lots of reading lately. I have finished reading Something About You by Julie James(LOVE IT), Giving Up the "V" by Serena Robar(fun YA book), and Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis(RITA nominated book that I LOVE). Since I'm recovering from a huge sinus infection right now, I'm behind on posting about all the books I've read, but hope to post a bit this weekend.

Thanks to Janelle Denison over at the plotmonkeys blog, I pulled Larissa Ione's Pleasure Unbound out of my TBR pile and can only say I'm currently devouring it. I love this series so much, I bought the next 3 in the series tonight when I ran by B&N to pick up Mind Games by Carolyn Crane(Woohoo CJ!!!).

Homicide in Hardcover

Homicide in Hardcover is the first book in the A Bibliophile Mystery series by Kate Carlisle. From the back cover.~

Brooklyn Wainwright is a skilled surgeon. Sure, her patients might smell like mold and have spines made of leather, but no ailing book is going to die on her watch. The same can’t be said of Abraham Karastovsky, Brooklyn’s friend and former employer.

On the eve of a celebration for his latest books restoration, Brooklyn finds her mentor lying in a pool of his own blood. With his final breath, Abraham leaves Brooklyn a cryptic message, “Remember the devil,” and smiles as she takes possession of his priceless-and supposedly cursed-copy of Goeth’s Faust.

Brooklyn suddenly finds herself accused of murder and theft, thanks to Derek Stone, the humorless-and annoyingly attractive-British security officer who found her knelling over the body. Now she has to make sense of the clues left behind by her mentor if she hopes to restore justice…

Homicide in Hardcover was recommended to me by my friend Silver James, and I’m so glad I listened to her. I loved the main character Brooklyn Wainwright. When Brooklyn finds her mentor Abraham in a pool of his own blood, she becomes the main suspect in his murder. Although she is told to stay out of the investigation by both the police and inspector Derek Stone, she does a bit of investigating on her own. When a competitor of Abraham is also found dead in his home, Brooklyn is again questioned as a suspect.

I really enjoyed Homicide in Hardcover. The friendship between Brooklyn and her best friend Robin was perfectly written. They enter-acted just as women who had been friend their entire life would around one another. I also enjoyed the chemistry between Brooklyn and Derek Stone and hope it is explored further in future books. Homicide in Hardcover is the perfect read for someone who enjoys a great mystery and wonderful characters.

Fantasy in Death

Fantasy in Death is the 30^th book in JD Robb’s best selling In Death series. From the inside cover flap.~

Bart Minnock, founder of the computer gaming giant U-Play, enters his private room, and eagerly can’t wait to lose himself in an imaginary world, to take on the role of a sword-wielding warrior king, in his company’s latest top-secret project. Fantastical.

The next morning, he is found in the same locked room, in a pool of blood, his head separated from his body. It is the most puzzling case Lieutenant Eve Dallas has ever faced, and it is not a game…

She is having as much trouble figuring out how Bart Minnock was murdered as determining who did the murdering. The victim’s girlfriend seems sincerely grief-stricken, and his quirky but brilliant partners at U-Play appear shocked as well. No one seems to have had a problem with the enthusiastic, high-spirited millionaire.

Of course, success can attract jealousy, and gaming, like any business, has its fierce rivalries and dirty tricks-as Eve’s husband, Roarke, one of U-Play’s competitors, knows well. But Minnock was not naive, and he knew how to fight back in the real world as well as the virtual one.

Eve and her team are about to enter the next level of police work, in a world where fantasy is the ultimate seduction-and the price of defeat is death.

Robb gives the reader another stellar mystery/romance with Fantasy in Death, not that I really ever expect anything less. Eve Dallas must get help from the NYPSD e-men and Roarke to help crack Bart Minnock’s murder. Bart is found murdered, behind a locked door in his private gaming room, where only Bart had entered the room. Feeney, McNabb, and Roarke go straight to work to try and recover what is on the destroyed disc still in his machine. As Eve and Peabody investigate Bart’s background, it seems as if he well liked by everyone he has met. Roarke had even tried to hire him before Bart and his 3 best friends started their own company, U-Play. As Eve and Peabody continue to look at all the angles, one of Bart’s partners is also attacked while playing the same game that killed Bart.

I will say that I had the killer figured out somewhat early in Fantasy in Death, which is unusual for me. I normally only figure out the “who-done-it” right before Eve reveals it. I’ve said again and again how much I love JD Robb’s books, and Fantasy in Death in yet another winner in my book. Now only have to wait until November when Indulgence in Death is released for my next Eve Dallas/Roarke fix.

Savin' Me

I was sent a copy of Savin’ Me by my friend; author Alannah Lynne to read while I was recovering from surgery last month. The actual release date was 3/10/10. The following blurb is from www.wildrosepress.com site.

Kat Owens can't believe her luck. Her new job was supposed to be a fresh start—one that would lead to a position she's coveted for years. Instead, it reunites her with the man she’s spent the past thirteen months trying to forget.

Only a fool would let Kat slip away. That was Erik Monteague’s realization upon waking—alone—after an impassioned night with Kat. But fate has brought her back into his life, and he’ll stop at nothing to rekindle their smoldering attraction.

Neither is prepared for the emotional fallout that follows when they act upon their explosive passion. Erik’s feelings for Kat force him to confront the past that has haunted him for ten years. Kat must choose between a promotion and love, while knowing love might not be enough to save Erik.

I loved Savin’ Me from the very first page. Erik and Kat are so hot together I’m pretty sure there was steam rising off my Sony reader. While there were many steamy scenes, the emotional baggage both Erik and Kat carry around could threaten to put an end to their relationship. Watching Erik and Kat fall for one another and put aside past baggage was wonderful. I especially loved watching Erik fall completely for Kat. He is sexy from the very first page, but his sexiness seems to go up a notch as he falls for Kat.

I highly recommend Savin’ Me by Alannah Lynne and I look forward to more books from her in the future. Savin’ Me is an ebook release only and can be purchased from the Wild Rose Press website.

Margarita Nights

I signed up with NetGalley.com and requested several galleys, with Margarita Nights being the first I read. The following blurb is from the NetGalley press kit.

MARGARITA NIGHTS is a debut novel by Phyllis Smallman, and our first encounter with amateur sleuth Sherri Travis.

The bar in Jacaranda, Florida may be upscale, but Sherri Travis is from the side of town where luxury is an extra wide trailer. She is separated from her husband Jimmy Travis, who comes from Jacaranda's social register, and there's only one thing Sherri and her mother-in-law agree on: she and Jimmy shouldn't be together.

Sherri wants Jimmy out of her life but he won't stay gone, so when Jimmy and his boat, the Suncoaster, explodes in an orange ball of fire, the police come calling. There's a witness who puts Sherri on the Suncoaster hours before it went boom. Add a quarter million dollar insurance policy, and Sherri becomes the suspect du jour.

Sherri didn't do it, but as she digs through the debris of Jimmy's life, she discovers more than a few people who wanted Jimmy dead.

I really enjoyed Margarita Nights. Sherri Travis is laugh out loud funny and all of her antics kept me laughing through the entire book. Her belief that Jimmy is faking his death truly sounded plausible based on the history between them. As Sherri is the prime suspect in Jimmy’s murder, it is up to her and her friends to clear her name. With a supporting cast of characters that fit so perfectly in the small island town of Jacaranda, FL, Smallman gives the reader a great mystery with a touch of romance.

Heist Society

Heist Society is the first book in a new YA series by Ally Carter. From the inside cover flap.~

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own-scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat’s friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster’s priceless art collection has been stolen and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled off this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and, hopefully, just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s (very crooked) history-and with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

I’ve loved Ally Carter’s books since I read the first book in her Gallagher Girl series. That being said, I really think I loved Heist Society just as much if not more. Kat, who found a way to leave the family “business” suddenly, is thrust back into it to save her dad. She must get a team together to return the stolen paintings to Arturo Taccone or he will make her father pay. The fact that her father didn’t steal the paintings matter as far as Taccone is concerned. Kat puts together a teen team of art thieves to retrieve the stolen artwork, which includes her cousin Gabrielle, her computer genius friend Simon; the Bagshaw bothers Hamish and Angus, the super cute Hale, and Kat’s new friend Nick.

I would love to see the friendship between Hale and Kat turn into more of a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship in the next Heist book. They have the very best chemistry and just seem to be perfect for each other. Seems like they always have each other's back no matter what is going on, or how mad they make each other.

Ally Carter is an auto-buy author for me. I’ve read pretty much everything she has ever written and can’t wait for her next book to be released.

Slow Heat

Slow Heat is the latest sexy book by Jill Shalvis. From the back cover.~

After a woman claims she’s pregnant with Wade O’Riley’s love child, Major League Baseball’s most celebrated catcher and ladies’ man is slapped on the wrist by management and ordered to improve his image. His enforcer is the team’s publicist, the tough and sexy Samantha McNead.

When Wade needs a date for a celebrity wedding, Sam steps up to the plate as his “girlfriend”. But given her secret crush on him and that one awkward night a year ago in a stalled elevator with too much Scotch, the whole thing is an exercise in sexual tension.

Wade is thrilled when the pretense turns into an unexpected night of hot passion. But the next day Sam is back to her cool self. As a catcher, Wade’s used to giving the signals, not struggling to read them. Now, to win the love of his “pretend” girlfriend, he needs a home run-even if it involves stealing a few bases…

Slow Heat is another fun, hot and sexy book by Jill Shalvis. We first are introduced to Wade and Sam in Double Play. I loved Wade from the beginning and was so glad we got his story with Slow Heat. Wade and Sam have to pretend to be dating to help turn around his public image. The only problem with the plan is both are still attracted to one another after their secret tryst in the elevator a year ago, not that either is willing to admit it when the plan is hatched. The fact that both are having trouble keeping their hands to themselves just makes this story funnier and sexier.

I loved Slow Heat! Wade and Sam were so wonderful together and I really liked watching them fall for one another. Jill Shalvis gives the reader another sexy winner with Slow Heat and I can't wait for her next book to be released.

Reading Updates to Come

So, I've been remiss in updating my blog over the last week. I'm currently working on my post for Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis and Heist Society by Ally Carter. I will say now, I loved both books and promise to post more tonight. I had almost no time on the internet over the weekend, as I was visiting with family the entire time. So, I plan on getting back on track tonight and hope to stay on track after tonight.

Latest update from doctor and Mamma Mia

I saw my breast doctor this morning and he said the lump was a fibroadenoma and it was benign. However, the tissue around it was diagnosed as Atypical Lobular Hyperplasia. He compared it so seeing smoke before you see fire. There are no breast cancer cells currently, but they could form. So I go see a medical oncologist on 3/24 to talk about our treatment options and what types of meds(would take everyday for 5 years) might help the cells go away and will have to have a diagnostic mammogram in August and again 6 months later to make sure everything comes out ok. If both mammograms come back ok, then I go to only having mammograms every year. He told me we would keep a really good eye on everything and told me to do monthly breast exams and call him if I feel anything that doesn't feel right. I'll post another update once I meet with my new doctor and find out what course of treatment(how many meds) we are taking.

On a fun note, I get to go see Mamma Mia tonight at TPAC here in Nashville. I've always loved Abba's music, I really loved the movie, and can't wait to see the play tonight. I'm meeting my uncle and 2 aunts for dinner and then we are heading over to the show. Thinking I might just have to listen to some Broadway tunes this afternoon to get me really ready for the show.