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.