Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss

Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss is the latest Harlequin Desire release from Maya Banks. From the back cover.~

Devon Carter was her first; now newly wed Ashley wants their passion to last. But her dreams of true love are crushed by the discovery that their marriage is another of Daddy's business deals. Her strategy: act the part of perfect wife and make Devon love her.

But Devon misses the bubbly, no-holds-barred woman his wife used to be. Who is this Ashley with the steely demeanor of a society wife? And will he find a way to rekindle the fire in her eyes…especially now that she's pregnant?

I’m a huge fan of Maya Banks. I got an early copy of Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss from NetGalley. Devon and Ashley have great chemistry together. While Ashley has been in love with Devon from almost the beginning, Devon has agreed to marry Ashley as part of a business deal with her father. Only, Devon thinks Ashley should know the truth before the wedding. When Ashley finds out the truth, she decides the best way to make things work is to become the perfect corporate wife. Devon quickly realizes he misses the Ashley he dated and soon figures out how much he really loves Ashley just as she is.

While you get the sexy scenes I’ve come to expect from any Maya Banks book, I also loved the sweetness of seeing two such different people fall for one another. Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss is another winner from Maya Banks. Print copies are already available at your favorite bookstore and online bookstore. The digital release is set for March 1, 2012. 

Redwood Bend

Redwood Bend is the newest release in the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr. From the back cover.~

Katie Malone and her twin boys' trip along the beautiful mountain roads to Virgin River is stopped short by a tire as flat as her failed romance. To make matters worse, the rain has set in, the boys are hungry and Katie is having trouble putting on a spare. As she stands at the side of the road pondering her next move, she hears a distinct rumble. The sight of the sexy, leather-clad bikers who pull up beside her puts her imagination into overdrive.

Dylan Childress and his buddies are on the motorcycle trip of a lifetime. But the sight of a woman in distress stops them in their tracks. And while the guys are checking out her car, she and Dylan are checking out one another.

In one brief moment, the world tilts on its axis and any previous plans Katie and Dylan might have had for their futures are left at the side of the road.

I’m a big fan of Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series. In fact she is an auto-buy author for me, and I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Redwood Bend from NetGalley. I really enjoyed this latest story from the Virgin River series.

Katie Malone is such a strong woman. Not only is she the mother of twin 5 year old boys, but she is a widow who has been raising her boys alone their entire lives. She has moved to Virgin River for the summer for her kids to be closer to her brother, Conner. Dylan was a child television star until his grandmother pulled him away from the business after one of his friends died when they were teenagers. Katie recognizes Dylan as soon as she meets him, but never gives him any impression that she knows he was a TV star.

Neither Katie nor Dylan is looking for anything serious when they first meet. Katie is willing to have a fling with Dylan for as long as he is in town. Of course neither is prepared for how strong the attraction is or how important the other person becomes. Add in a major surprise, and we get to see what both Katie and Dylan are really made of. I loved how as much as Dylan thought he could leave Katie and her boys behind, he has them in his thoughts almost non-stop.

The release date for Redwood Bend is set for February 28, 2012 in both print and digital formats. Fans of Robyn Carr will love this latest installation in her Virgin River series. I also think it reads well as a stand-alone story.

NutriSystem and 5K Training

I joined NutriSystem last week to try and get my health back on track. I'd tried Weight Watchers for the last couple of months, but wasn't really sticking to it, so I knew I needed to do something big to get back to it. With NutriSystem, I get a protein drink, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert from their plan. I add fruits, nuts, and veggies to meals and snacks so I end up eating 6 times a day. I also am making myself drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day and trying to limit my diet soft drink intake to only one per day. In week one, I lost 3 pounds. I'm very happy with my progress, and plan on sticking to the plan. My goal is to lose 60 pounds total.

My 5K training is going pretty good. I'm walking for my training right now. I plan on getting back to my jogging/walking intervals once I lose another 17 pounds. Right now my joints can't take the pounding of jogging at my current weight. I know that walking is movement, and all movement is good. Ready to get back to that next level so I can jog/walk again. I know once I can jog again, along with the reduced calorie intake, I will get my weight down a bit faster.

Ride with Me

Ride with Me is the debut novel from Ruthie Knox. From Amazon’s website.~

In this fun, scorching-hot eBook original romance by Ruthie Knox, a cross-country bike adventure takes a detour into unexplored passion. As readers will discover, Ride with Me is not about the bike! 
 
When Lexie Marshall places an ad for a cycling companion, she hopes to find someone friendly and fun to cross the TransAmerica Trail with. Instead, she gets Tom Geiger--a lean, sexy loner whose bad attitude threatens to spoil the adventure she's spent years planning.
 
Roped into the cycling equivalent of a blind date by his sister, Tom doesn't want to ride with a chatty, go-by-the-map kind of woman, and he certainly doesn't want to want her. Too bad the sight of Lexie with a bike between her thighs really turns his crank.
 
Even Tom's stubborn determination to keep Lexie at a distance can't stop a kiss from leading to endless nights of hotter-than-hot sex. But when the wild ride ends, where will they go next?

I’d seen lots of talk on twitter and various blogs about Ride with Me before its release and knew I needed to read this book. I’m so glad I moved this book up to the top of my TBR list on release day. I liked Lexie from the very beginning. She is a strong and independent woman who knows what she wants and has no problem doing what it takes to get what she wants. Tom was a bit of a jerk at first, but as he talked more about himself to Lexie, I came to not only like, but respect the choices he made.

I loved that while Lexie and Tom were attracted to one another from the very beginning, they actually let their attraction build up for a good bit of their trip before they even share their first kiss. Of course, since Lexie told Tom she was married when they first met, I liked that he didn’t make the first move. Their first kiss totally steamed up the screen on my kindle. After a short time away from one another, Lexie and Tom are both missing one another, but Tom is the one who goes looking for Lexie. Once Tom and Lexie finally make love for the first time, they really can’t keep their hands off one another. Both agreed to a no strings attached relationship, but as we all know someone always gets hurt in that situation. Lexie was falling for Tom long before they had a physical relationship, and with each passing day she falls deeper and deeper in love.

With Tom’s history, he is slower to realize how he really feels about Lexie, but once he figures it out, he takes steps to insure they have a future together. I really loved both Lexie and Tom and my feelings for them as a couple only grew as their story progressed. I did think the story ended rather abruptly, but still loved the story. In fact, I’ve already preordered Ruthie’s next book for my kindle.

Space In His Heart

Space in His Heart is the latest release from Roxanne St. Claire. From the back cover.~

When PR superstar Jessica Marlowe is tasked with making America fall in love with space exploration, she knows exactly what to do: find some smokin’ hot astronaut eye-candy and make him NASA's poster boy. When she meets Navy fighter pilot turned astronaut Commander Deke Stockard, the shiver down her spine tells her she's found her man. Consumed with the safety of the upcoming shuttle launch, Deke has zero interest in being part of a lame media blitz--but orders can't be ignored. He also can’t ignore the way Jessica's sexy smile and single-minded determination throw his well-ordered life into a tailspin....and ignite an undeniable attraction. But when the next launch becomes a ticking time bomb that could spell the end for NASA, passion and courage won't be enough to reach the stars. Deke and Jessica will have to work together, and hope they both have space in their hearts...for love.

I bought this book the day it was released in digital format back in November, but somehow it got lost in my TBR list on my kindle. I saw several people talking about it on twitter and various blogs and knew I had to move it up my list. I’m so glad I did too. I’ve read almost every book Roxanne St. Claire has published and I’m a huge fan. I love her Bullet Catchers books and her Guardian Angelinos books so much, and she once again delivers with Space in His Heart.

I loved Deke from the very first. He was a bit of a hard-ass to Jessica in the beginning, but he was trying to make sure everything was safe for the upcoming shuttle launch. He also really didn’t want to be the “face of NASA” and be pulled away from ensuring a safe launch. The fact that even when he was annoyed with Jessica, he was still attracted to her only made things better.

I also really liked Jessica. She was at NASA to save her career. The fact that someone in her office is trying to sabotage her job, only makes her work harder to be successful. She is attracted to Deke from the moment she sees his photo, and even when he is being ugly to her, she can’t totally fight that attraction. Deke and Jessica grow closer with each passing day and soon neither can fight their attraction for the other. Deke and Jessica have some of the best chemistry ever. I loved them together whether they were getting along or arguing.

The revelation of who was trying to sabotage Jessica kind of surprised me. I thought it was someone else for much of the book. The person behind the mistakes at NASA was no surprise, but how everyone learned what was happening floored me.

I loved Space in His Heart and only wished I hadn’t waited so long to read it. It can be purchased from your favorite online bookstore. I bought mine for my kindle, and didn’t realize there were print copies too. Might just have to add the print copy to my Rocki keeper shelf at home.

Time Out

Time Out is the newest Blaze release from Jill Shalvis. From the back cover.~

Sign up for recreational adult programs now!

Class: How to Drive Him Crazy


Instructional program for women unexpectedly facing the totally dishy guy from their past. Everyone welcome!


NHL coach Mark Diego's plan to spend his off-season volunteering in his hometown goes awry when he learns that not only is he coaching teenage girls, but that the program is coordinated by energetic (and five feet two inches of trouble) coordinator Rainey Saunders, his childhood friend—and the woman he could never stand to see dating any other guy….


When their tempers flare, Mark and Rainey discover their fireworks don't just burn angry—they burn very, very hot! But that'll just sweeten the victory. Because Mark always plays to win. And with Rainey, he's planning on playing very dirty, too…


Time Out is set for release on February 21, 2012, but I was lucky enough to get an early copy from NetGalley. Jill Shalvis is an auto-buy author for me and I will admit I go a bit fan-girl over her books and series. That being said, Jill always delivers with a fun and sexy story, so I’m fine with admitting to my fan-girl status.


I really loved Time Out. Rainey and Mark have known each other pretty much their entire lives. Rainey even tried to lose her virginity to Mark when she was 16, only to find him in a compromising position with another woman. Rainey has never really forgiven Mark for what happened when she was a teen, but finds she is still attracted to him just as much as before.


Mark has never settled down with one woman, which he attributes to all the work he does and not a certain childhood friend he has never forgotten. No storage room is safe when Mark and Rainey are in the area. They are so very, very hot together, I thought my kindle might just melt a few times.


Time Out is the perfect read for anyone looking for a fun and sexy story.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

Kiss Me, I’m Irish is the newest anthology from Harlequin featuring stories with Irish heroes. From the back cover.~

The Sins of His Past by Roxanne St. Claire

For one incredible night, Kendra Locke gave Deuce Monroe everything she had. Then he walked away without a backward glance to chase his big-league dreams. Now after one too many daredevil stunts, he's back in his hometown ready to pick up where they left off—but Kendra has no intention of giving in so easily….


Tangling with Ty by Jill Shalvis


Dr. Nicole Mann, a child prodigy who graduated high school at the age of thirteen, has no room in her mind or her schedule for romance. But when the architect renovating her apartment turns out to have a charming Irish accent, all bets are off—and Ty Patrick O'Grady plans to use every trick in his book to stay in her life for good.


Whatever Reilly Wants by Maureen Child


Connor Reilly only has a few weeks to go in his "no sex for ninety days" bet with his brothers—and he figures no woman is safer to be around than his best friend, Emma Jacobsen. Until Emma shows up at a bar in a short skirt and high heels, and suddenly seems anything but safe!


Each of the stories published in this anthology were previously published by Harlequin. I was lucky enough to get an early copy of the anthology from NetGalley. The anthology is set for release on February 21, 2012 in print and March 1, 2012 in digital.


I actually remember reading both Tangling with Ty and Whatever Reilly Wants when they were first published and loved them just as much this time around as the first time I read them. Kinda felt like revisiting old friends. I still loved watching Nicole and Ty fall for one another and it was so fun to watch Emma teach Connor a lesson about women. I’d somehow missed The Sins of His Past when it first came out, but loved it and was so glad I found a book by Rocki I hadn’t read before. I was even told by friends on Facebook there were books with these characters, so I’m now on the hunt for those. Kendra and Deuce had great chemistry and they have to find a way to work together to keep their business dreams alive.  


Roxanne St. Claire, Jill Shalvis, and Maureen Child are all auto-buy authors for me and I’m never disappointed in their stories. Each of the stories in this anthology were fun and sexy reads and I totally connected to each of the couples.