Monthly Mixer Mele 2010 WrapUp

During this challenge I was supposed to read a book for every letter that spells out the month's names starting November 2009 to the end of October 2010. I didn't quite make it. The letters E, U and Y were my downfall. I think perhaps if I had focused on those letters I would have completely this challenge a long time ago but I just read books and then looked to see where they fell. Here is my wrap up of the challenge. I went back to the original poster's website to update but she hasn't posted anything on her blog since May so I guess this was one of those challenges that I was doing alone LOL.

N--Night Lost by Lynn Viehl (3 Stars)
O--Once and Always by Judith McNaught (4 Stars)
V--Virgin River by Robyn Carr (4.5 Stars)
E--Evanovich, Janet--Fearless Fourteen (3 Stars)
M--(The)Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley (4.5 Stars)
B--Blood Sins by Kay Hooper (3 Stars)
E--Evanovich, Janet Lean Mean Thirteen (4 stars)
R--Robyn Carr's A Virgin River Christmas (4 Stars)


D--(The)Dream Wedding by MJ Rodgers--A Harlequin Intrigue (4 Stars)
E--Elizabeth Boyle's Love Letters From A Duke (4.5 Stars)
C--Causing Havoc by Lori Foster (4.5 Stars)
E--Evanovich, Janet--Sizzling Sixteen (3.5 Stars)
M--Murder Game by Christine Feehan (3.5 Stars)
B--(The) Bewitched Viking by Sandra Hill (2 Stars)
E--Evanovich, Janet--Finger Lickin' Fifteen (4 Stars)
R--Robyn Carr's Temptation Ridge (4 Stars)

J--Julia Quinn's What Happens in London (4.5 Stars)
A--All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks (3 Stars)
N--Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper (4.5 Stars)
U--Unleash the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4.5 Stars)
A--Armstrong, Kelley--The Summoning (4 Stars)
R--Robyn Carr's Whispering Rock (5Stars)
Y

F--Forget Me Not by Elizabeth Lowell (3 Stars)
E--Evanovich, Janet--Smitten (3 Stars)
B--Barbara Bretton's Just Like Heaven (4 Stars)
R--Robyn Carr's Angel's Peak (5 Stars)
U--Under Her Skin by Susan Mallery (4 Stars)
A--Angela Knight's Master of Swords (3 stars)
R--Robyn Carr's Shelter Mountain (5 Stars)
Y


M--Marie Anne Wilson's The Christmas Hubsand Silhouette Special Edition (3 Stars)
A--(The) Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox (3 Stars)
R--Robb, JD--Imitation in Death (4 Stars)
C--(The) Christmas Husband by Marie Anne Wilson a Silhouette Special Edition (3 Stars)
H--Holly and Mistletoe by Susan Mallery a Silhouette Special Edition (4 Stars)


A--Angela Knight--Master of the Night (2 Stars)
P--Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr (4.5 stars)
R--Robyn Carr's Forbidden Falls (4 Stars)
I--It Had To Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (4 Stars)
L--Lie By Moonlight by Amanda Quick (3 Stars)


M--Miller, Linda Lael--Deadly Deceptions (4 Stars)
A--Amanda Quick--Second Sight (4 Stars)
Y


J--Jude Deveraux's Holly (4 Stars)
U
N--Nora Roberts's Remember When (3.5 Stars)
E--Everyday Average Jones by Suzanne Brockmann (4.5 Stars)




J--Jayne Ann Krentz's White Lies (4 Stars)
U
L--Leona Karr's Shadows on the Lake (2 Stars)
Y




A--Ana Leigh's The Lawman said "I Do" (1 Star)
U
G--Gentlemen Prefer Succubi by Jill Myles (4.5 Stars)
U
S--Shadows on the Lake by Leona Karr a Harlequin Intrigue (2 Stars)
T--The Touch of Fire by Linda Howard (2.5 Stars)


S--Susan Elizabeth Phillips's Dream a Little Dream (5 Stars)
E--Elisabeth Naughton's Marked (2 Stars)
P--Patterson, James--Witch and Wizard (3 Stars)
T--Taming the Highland Bride by Lynsay Sands (3 Stars)
E
M--MacGregor, Kinley's The Warrior (2.5 Stars)
B--Beth Fantasky's Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (3.5 Stars)
E
R--(The) Renegade Hunter by Lynsay Sands (4 Stars)


O--(The) Only Way Out by Susan Mallery (2 Stars)
C--Christine Feehan's Street Game (3 Stars)
T--Teresa Medeiros's The Bride and The Beast (4.5 Stars)
O--One Night of Scandal by Teresa Medeiros (5 Stars)
B--Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick (4 Stars)
E
R--Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz (4 Stars)

Read 'n Review Challenge 2011

I will join in on this challenge again in 2011. Once again Miz B is hosting it and it's pretty easy. Just read a book and write a review. Easy Peazy. The blog title will like you back to Miz B's original post....

* review each book you read between January 1st and December 31st of the current year.




* PLEASE keep your reviews clean & respectful ~ these books we read are the hard work of an author, and we don’t need to be mean. Even if you didn’t like the book, please try to find something you can say that would be encouraging to the author.



* reviews can be as short, or long, as you wish

* you MAY overlap with other challenges

* eBooks and Audiobooks ARE allowed

* if there will be spoilers in your review, please note this in the subject line of your post so that those who don’t want to read them can skip that review. Thank you.

2011 TBR Challenge

This fun challenge is great for me (and everyone I know) to get rid of some of those TBR books that just keep stacking up and up and up. I like that it is specific in that your chosen books have to be at least 6 months old. I have books laying around my apartment that I have had for 20 years (sad but true.) The blog title will link you back to the original post. Here are Miz B's rules.....

** Pick 12 books – one for each month of the year - that you’ve been wanting to read (that have been on your “To Be Read” list) for 6 months or longer, but haven’t gotten around to.
** OPTIONAL: Create a list of 12 “Alternates” (books you could substitute for your challenge books, given that a particular one doesn’t grab you at the time)
** Then, starting January 1, read one of these books from your list each month, ending December 31. )

By the end of the year you should’ve knocked 12 books off of your TBR list! (of course, if you’re anything like me, you’ll have added *at LEAST* 12 more to the ever-growing pile by then! LOL).
The good news is, though, that you’ll be making some progress! ;o)
Additional rules/guidelines for this challenge:
* the challenge is to read 12 TBR books in 12 months — you can read those all in one month if you want, or one a month, or however you wanna do it.
* you should have a list posted somewhere for others to see
* you CANNOT change your list after January 1st, of the current year!!!
* you can create an Alternates list of MAXIMUM 12 books, if you want, in order to have options to choose from (you can read these in place of books on your original list).
* audiobooks and e-books ARE allowed
* re-reads are NOT allowed, as they aren’t TRUE “TBRs”
* you CAN overlap with other challenges
* OPTIONAL: you can join the Yahoo! Group created for participants of the TBR Challenge, if you want to have a place to keep your list, or just to share with others about how you’re doing!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My list......some are carrying over from the 2010 challenge that I didn't get to.

Main List

1-Blood Bound by Patricia Biggs
2-Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn
3-She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren
4-No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole
5-The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter
6-Your Coffin Or Mine? by Kimberly Raye
7-Evermore by Lynn Viehl
8-Lover Avenged by JR Ward
9-Dark Side of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon
10-Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
11-Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
12-First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost

Alternate List

1-The Nerd Who Loved Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson
2-Tangled up In You by Rachel Gibson

3-Twin of Ice by Jude Deveraux

4-Wild Jinx by Sandra Hill

5-With This Ring by Amanda Quick

6-Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

7-Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught

8-If You Desire by Kresley Cole

9-Ravished by a Highlander by Paula Cole

10-Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas

11-Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie

12-Back in Black by Lori Foster

RYOB Challenge 2010--update

Well, it is almost December and I am trying to get all my ducks in a row and figure out how many challenges I have met and completed this last year. I joined many many many of them and probably forgot about some. This is an update on my RYOB Challenge for 2010. I read 3 novellas and am not sure if those are allowed or not. I own them so I think they count, if not I will try to read above my goal, which was to read 60 of my own books this year. As of the end of November I have read 53 of my own books. I was thinking that I read more but I guess not. I have read 126 books so far and it's hard to believe that 72 of them were library books but I guess they were. One book was a re-read by the way and it is not allowed so it is not listed. To reach my goal I need to read another 7 books of my own (or 10 depending on if the novellas are not allowed.)

**Updated--goal reached for 2010**

1-Lady Be Good by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (4 Stars)
2-Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann (5 Stars)
3-Secrets by Jude Deveraux (1 Stars)
4-Forever Blue by Suzanne Brockmann (4 Stars)
5-Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep (4.5 Stars)
6-Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich (2 Stars)
7-Out of the Dark by Sharon Sala (3.5 Stars)
8-When Darkness Comes by Alexandra Ivy (3.5 Stars)
9-The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts (3 Stars)
10-Marked by Elisabeth Naughton (2 Stars)
11-Dangerous Tides by Christine Feehan (4.5 Stars)
12-Smitten by Janet Evanovich (3 Stars)
13-Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn (4 Stars)
14-McKettrick's Heart by Linda Lael Miller (4.5 Stars)
15-Lover Enshrined by JR Ward (4.5 Stars)
16-Remember When by Nora Roberts (3.5 Stars)
17-One Night of Scandal by Teresa Medeiros (5 Stars)
18-Deadly Deceptions by Linda Lael Miller (4 Stars)
19-Master of the Night by Angela Knight (2 Stars)
20-Public Affair, Secretly Expecting by Heidi Rice (4 Stars)
21-The Hollow by Nora Roberts (4 Stars)
22-Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy (4.5 Stars)
23-Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux (2.5 Stars)
24-At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost (5 Stars)
25-Fling or Wedding Ring by Mira Lyn Kelly (2.5 Stars)
26-Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris (4 Stars)
27-The Bride and The Beast by Teresa Medeiros (4.5 Stars)
28-A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole (5 Stars)
29-Destined For An Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost (5 Stars)
30-Dead Sexy by Kimberly Raye (3 Stars)
31-Aphrodite's Secret by Julie Kenner (4 Stars)
32-If you Deceive by Kresley Cole (5 Stars)
33-Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan (2 Stars)
34-Irresistible by Susan Mallery (4.5 Stars)
35-Second Sight by Amanda Quick (4 Stars)
36-Crossroads by Keta Diablo--novella (2 Stars)
37-Crossroads Revisited by Keta Diablo--novella (3 Stars)
38-Seeing You by Dakota Flint--novella (4 Stars)
39-McKettrick's Luck by Linda Lael Miller (3 Stars)
40-The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine(4 Stars)
41-Mackenzies Mountain by Linda Howard (4.5 Stars)
42-The Renegade Hunter by Lynsay Sands (4 Stars)
43-Imitation in Death by JD Robb (4 Stars)
44-Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (5 Stars)
45-White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz (4 stars)
46-Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich (4 stars)
47-Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich (3 Stars)
48-Once and Always by Judith McNaught (4 Stars)
49-Street Game by Christine Feehan (3 Stars)
50-The Bewitched Viking by Sandra Hill (2 Stars)
51-Causing Havoc by Lori Foster (4.5 Stars)
52-Deadly Gamble by Linda Lael Miller (4 Stars)
53-The Warrior by Kinley Macgregor (2.5 Stars)
54-Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (4.5 Stars)
55-Born to Bite by Lynsay Sands (4 Stars)

56-Sizzling by Julie Garwood (3.5 Stars)
57-Forbidden by Suzanne Brockmann (5 Stars)
58-Visions of White by Nora Roberts (3.5 Stars)
59-Prince Charming, M.D. by Susan Mallery (3.5 Stars)
60-Sleepless in Scotland by Karen Hawkins (4 Stars)
61-Match Me if You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (5 Stars)

Out of the Dark by Sharon Sala

Synopsis courtesy of Shelfari....

In the darkness of her memory terror lurks Street artist Jade remembers little of her childhood except for the time she spent under the ruthless control of a cult leader, a time marked by terrible abuse and suffering. For fifteen years since she escaped his grasp, she has survived by living on the streets and never putting down roots. Ex-cop Luke Kelly knows his friend Sam Cochrane wants nothing more to find his daughter, Jade, who was taken from him as a child. So Luke uses all his connections to make that happen, not knowing that by reuniting Jade with her father he is exposing her to a deadly peril. In the healing embrace of her father's home, Jade -- with Luke's loving help -- begins to put fear behind her. But somewhere in the darkness, a man is prepared to kill rather than let Jade reveal the secrets of her childhood. And when her story makes the national news, that someone finally knows where to find her.

My thoughts....

This was my first book read by this author and it was good for the most part. Quite a bit of faith in God thrown in....not completely preachy but more than I care for. After awhile it kind of felt like product placement....think I'm going to H.E double hockey sticks for comparing God to Chex Mix? Anyway, the last 100 pages seemed to drag and I thought as traumatized as Jade was, I felt that her couple months of therapy that turned her into a woman emotionally available for a full on relationship with a man seemed abrupt and not real. The suspense was drug out even though technically Jade was safe for the last hundred pages or so making the story feel longer than it really was. I felt, however, that the situations within the book (the childhood physical and sexual abuse and the emotions that came with it....up until the last part of the book) were spot on and Sala did a great job of convincing me of Jade's plight. I was as emotional as Jade was through much of the book. Overall, as I said, a good book. 3.5 Stars. I will read more of Sharon Sala in the future....at least to get a better feel of her writing.

The Sherbrooke Bride by Catherine Coulter

Douglas Sherbrooke, Earl of Northcliffe, decides that he needs an heir, so quite nonchalantly he thinks about his choices and then chooses the beautiful Melissande Chambers to bestow this privilege on. Unfortunately as he is planning his trip to do the deed he gets called off on a secret mission for the government and sends his cousin Tony to marry Melissande by proxy for him. When he arrives back to his home expecting the diamond, Melissande, he finds her younger sister instead. Tony, married Melissande for himself and to "fix" it he married Alexandra by proxy to Douglas.


My thoughts.....

Honestly I have heard for years that Coulter was an exceptional writer and The Sherbrooke Bride is a great read. I feel lied to. I hated it. After reading the other reviews on this book (most are right around 4 stars) I am wondering if maybe it is just me.

Douglas is pretty ticked off that instead of finding the beautiful woman he expects to come home to he is married to her younger sister that although handsome (Alex said she was quite handsome when listing her attributes to Douglas) she appears dowdy when standing next to Melissande...of course...according to the author....everyone does. So, what does Douglas do? Just figure that he didn't really know any of the girls that well and only wanted a brood mare anyway to give him an heir and anyone would do? Get mad and simply annul the marriage? Nope he treats Alex horrid. Seriously, horrid.

He ridicules her clothes. Saying things like, "That is such an unfashionable dress I doubt it was ever in fashion. I suppose you intend to wheedle me out of a new wardrobe?"

He ridicules her hair. "You will not pleat your hair like that. I don't like it. You look like a little girl."

He ridicules her feelings for him.....I still don't understand how she could have any tender feelings for the man who treats her so awful.

He often tells her that she will NOT ask questions. She will DO as he says and OBEY him. Often telling her that she will respond that yes "She understands" even if she doesn't.

He often referenced to his wife while thinking of her as "the little twit".

Alexandra's own thoughts were just as belittling. When thinking of her sister and herself she knows that Melissande is a diamond and she, Alex, certainly isn't a diamond but perhaps she could be a Topaz. A Topaz is, after all, a quite suitable and a nice gem.

I think that the love scenes (I use the phrase loosely) were the worse to listen to (yes I listened to it on audio without skimming most of it had I done if I had an actual paper version). The love scenes (cough cough) were all about him telling her, quite clinically what he would do to her and that she would enjoy it. The first one was the most painful...granted they all were bad but the first one is like that first plunge into the swimming pool you never know quite what to prepare for and let's just say that the very first love scene will stay with me for a long time....like chicken pox scars.


Douglas did a lot of talking.....a LOT!!! I don't remember much of it thank goodness as I tried to block it but what I do remember is that Douglas doesn't find his wife remotely attractive and can't figure out why he loses control when he has sex with her as he is ALWAYS in control. So even though his wife is not stunning in beauty it must still be her fault he ruts her like a school boy's first outing.

Oh and at one point they were talking about if he found her lovely and irresistible (I am paraphrasing by the way) to which he replied...."Well, No. But you have nice breasts." What a pig!

And what does Alex do while her husband treats her like this???? Why...... she declares her love for him.

One reviewer said that they fell in love with Douglas and mentioned he was the first "Alpha" male that they read. To me there is a big difference between an Alpha male and a jerkwad. Douglas is a jerkwad....perhaps even more of an asshat. Jerkwad is too mild of a word.

I was going to give this book a flat out 1 star rating (I never give less than that because that is the lowest my rating scale goes...although a half star would make sense too if I really was going to think about it...but I'm not at this point) oh, anyway, it fully deserved 1 star up until the last 80 or so pages (I'm guessing by the way since I listened to it and honestly don't know). The last 1/5 of the book picked up and had some sort of a twist that was mildly interesting and made me see Alex and Douglas as actual characters and not horrible plotting mistakes. Unfortunately it only elevated the book half a star...too little too late.

Oh, and there was a ghost in the book called The Virgin Bride. Almost pointless to have had it in the storyline...I suppose it was to give the book an added depth and shake things up a bit but it was a big FAIL....really.

Now I'm kind of in a dilemma...I own 38 more of her books. I'm scared to even pick another up.

The Original TBR Challenge Update

So, it's almost the end of November of 2010 and I have just a few short weeks to try to finish up all my reading challenges. Over the last year I did really well meeting my goals. One of those goals was to do the TBR Challenge which had a list of 12 books preselected prior to January1, 2010. We could also chose books from an alternate list of 12 preselected books to add to the variety. I have read a total of 14 of those books. Not sure how many more I will get done by the end of the year.

Here is a look at my lists....

List 1


1-Imitation in Death by JD Robb (4 Stars)


2-The Hollow by Nora Roberts (4 Stars)

3-Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard (4.5 Stars)

4-Blood Bound by Patricia Biggs

5-Aphrodite's Secret by Julie Kenner (4 Stars)


6-The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine (4 Stars)


7-Unleash The Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4.5 stars)

8-Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn

9-A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole (5 Stars)

10-She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren

11-Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux (2.5 Stars)

12-Dangerous Tides by Christine Feehan (4.5 Stars)

Alternate List

1-The Nerd Who Loved Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson

2-Your Coffin Or Mine? by Kimber Raye

3-Causing Havoc by Lori Foster (4.5 stars)

4-Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan (2 Stars)

5-Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (5 Stars)

6-Master of the Night by Angela Knight (2 stars)

7-Tangled up In You by Rachel Gibson

8-Irresistable by Susan Mallery (4.5 Stars)

9-Evermore by Lynn Viehl

10-Twin of Ice by Jude Deveraux

11-Wild Jinx by Sandra Hill

12-With This Ring by Amanda Quick

I got pretty lazy with posting reviews so not all the books have reviews for them unfortunately.

Huntress an anthology

A brief Synopsis....
It takes a real man to satisfy the powers and passions of the HUNTRESS


Christine Warren -- "Devil's Bargain"
Supernatural bounty hunter Lilli Corbin made a pact with the Prince of Hell: She agreed to recover a book of prophecies. When she learns it could trigger the apocalypse, Lilli is forced to make the ultimate choice: save her soul, or the man she loves?

Marjorie M. Liu -- "The Robber Bride"
Welcome to a post-apocalyptic world where women are fed on for their life forces. Now it's up to Maggie, one of the last female survivors, to hunt down and destroy an army of darkness….

Caitlin Kittredge -- "Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go"
Ava is a demon slayer who needs help from mage Jack Winter to reach the demon underworld -- a place of dark seduction …and, maybe, one of no return.

Jenna Maclaine -- "Sin Slayer"
London 1889. Jack the Ripper is killing off the city's vampire population, and now it's up to Cin Craven to hunt him down —and save the infected Michael, the love of her undead life.




My Thoughts.....
The first story was written by Christine Warren. I have read one of the Others books by this author and thought it was ok but nothing to jump head first into the rest of the series. This is not part of that series but when starting a short story you never know if you are going to end up reading story 17 out of a series you have never read and have no idea what it's about. Anyway, this was about a demon bounty hunter who found herself having to pay one of the lesser devil's of hell back for a favor by performing 3 tasks for him payable when the mood strikes him. This will be the last of the 3 favors and she can't wait to get out from this contract. By doing this favor she ends up puting the balance of good and evil out of whack and possibly introducing armegeddon. So she hooks up with the hero who is hoping that between the two they can prevent this from happening. Interesting enough storyline what I didn't like was that the sexual chemistry between the h/h was off the charts so in a few short pages they almost did the deed and then actually did do it a little later. I know that this is a common enough occurance that I knew to expect it. What I didn't expect was the feelings of love after only knowing each other for 8 hours. I hate this type of romance story line. Towards the end the love was changed to "feelings" and then with the characters seeing where it led them but it still smacked of Love at First Errection...I mean Sight. 3.5 stars.



Second story was called The Robber Bride by Marjorie M Liu. I loved this one. The entire story was intriguing. Totally not a typical Vampire paranormal it has a dystopian theme to it and the reader is reading along trying to figure out just what are those bad guys. The storyline doesn't neccesarily have an ending. Actually there is an ending for this story just not a HEA one for the characters...more like a stay tuned for the further adventures of Maggie and Mr Crow. One of the most unique and interesting short stories I have ever read. Total 5 stars.



The third was by Caitlin Kittredge and by far my least favorite. I would say I would give it 2 stars tops. I hated the characters. There was no clear cut and dry good guy/bad guy. The good guy was a jerk-off and the good gal was a manipulator. They were better than the bad bad people but it was hard to cheer for a specific side. This story is part of her Black London books and I can't figure out where it takes place within that series. Not that it matters because I will not read them. Jack Winter is an ass. Also, I am an american but read books set all over and have to admit that this is the first time that an author used so much "non-american" slang that I wasn't familiar with that it really destracted me from the story. I could have benefited with a glossary had there been one in the back of the book.



The last story was part of Jenna Maclaine's Cin Craven books. I love Cin. I love Michael. I love Cin and Michael. I have read the first two books in the series and this short story falls between that 2nd book and the 3rd I haven't read yet. A great addition to the series and didn't suffer from lack of pages. The story felt full and complete. I would recommend that if you read this one you have already read the other 2 full books and the other short story found in Stange Brew though. Because they fall in chronological order with decades passing between each story I think this is important. 4.5 stars only because it is part of an ongoing series that I feel should be read in order. Totally recommend them though. Especially if you like the Cat and Bones books by Jeaniene Frost.

As a complete book I would give this one 4 stars. If it hadn't been for the Kittredge story this would have been an excellent anthology.

Wild Fling or Wedding Ring? by Mira Lyn Kelly

Description:
On her first night in Chicago, Cali McGovern meets seriously sexy surgeon Jake Tyler. Since she's still sore after her last relationship, her head's yelling Run —but her body's screaming for his touch…. For the first time ever, her head gets overruled! Jake isn't looking for a wife—been there, done that. But his hot new neighbor is in town just long enough for a wild fling…perfect! Yet when the time's up, he can't say goodbye. Is that just because of their sizzling chemistry—or something a whole lot scarier?

My thoughts:
I haven't read a Harlequin Presents in, oh, about 20 years and have to say that I probably went into this with not quite the open mind that I should have. I remember the Presents from back in the day, where the women were poor working their fingers to the bone virgins and the men were players with lots of money. They all really started sounding familiar book after book after book.

Anyway, I struggled through the first 10 pages for 2 days. This book should have only taken me 2 hours tops to read and it sat on my headboard taunting me for 48 hours. Within the first 10 pages I had not only one instance where my anal retentive ways sounded it's alarm and wouldn't let me continue on but then there were two. Most people probably wouldn't pick a statement apart and make it literal. I do.

Here is my example.....In the jazz club where Cali and Jake just happened to meet and spend an interesting couple of hours chatting and laughing away, Jake receives a phone call that he takes down the hallway. For a busy heart surgeon this is probably pretty common. Cali, completely gun shy decides it is time to head to the restroom then make a break for it. As Jake comes back down the hall, Cali comes out of the restroom and runs smack into Jake. This is where it got wonky on me. Wonky because instead of a shoulder bump of an encounter or even a body check where Cali unfortunately bounces back into the restroom the author elaborates to say that their legs tangled. Does that ever happen? I had visions of Cali jumping out of the restroom in full on flying bicycle kick.

Second example.....when Cali and Jake kissed (right around the leg tangling) she shuddered. In Mira Lyn Kelly's mind a shudder is an example of passion. In my mind a shudder is another way of saying "Ewwww. This isn't going to work for me, dude. I swallowed a little bit of my own vomit when attempting to snog you."

Not everyone would ever think these things were wonky with the book. I know, I'm anal. But now I bet you will think about it if you do read this book.

Once I ignored the issues I had with the first part of the book it did get better. I really liked Jake. Cali was just so-so but not unlikable. I liked the conflict that both of them had with themselves. Jake just didn't want commitment and Cali didn't want to risk her job. Oh did I mention that Cali's boss knows Jake and actually refers to him as "her Jackson"? I liked that when Cali explained her past experience with Jake the author could have kept it simple and standard that the evil ex used and then threw Cali away leaving her destitute, jobless, and alone but she didn't. Yes Cali's ex was a jerk-off but Cali was woman enough to admit that even though the ex was an ass it was her that allowed it to happen. I liked that. To tell the truth I was expecting to read the first version and was pleasantly surprised when it didn't happen.

I do wish that Cali's boss would have been a little more involved with the whole Jake and Cali thing. At least to give some closure. Her blessing or even the opposite. Personally if my star employee started dating "my Jackson" I would have something to say about it.

Overall this really was an OK book. It is the author's first and it does show but with time and experience she could really polish up her writing and start putting out really good books.I am giving this book 2.5 Stars and would say that if you were going to read it find it used or borrow it. I got my copy from Tellharlequin.com free for my opinion on it.

On a side note if you noticed there are two covers of this book mine actually didn't come with a picture on the cover at all. Just a plain white book with black lettering. Still not sure why unless these are Harlequin's ARCs. The white one is the Harlequin Presents American cover and the blue one is the Mills & Boon copy from the UK. I really like the blue book better. I think it makes Jake look super hot. The White one is actually a little closer to Cali's description as she has lots of curly hair. Unfortunately, neither one got the color right. Cali actually was described as having ginger and dark cherry hair....which doesn't sound blonde to me.

What am I reading Today?

I do have a review to post of the book I finished earlier this week but to tell the truth I am just plain lazy to put forth that much effort right now. So I decided to tell y'all what I am reading now.

I never have just one book going at any given time. I don't even have just two. I often have multiple books with fancy books marks or random pieces of paper marking my various stages of completion scattered around my dwelling (or car, or work). I never know why I have multiple books started. Many of them are super good books, some are just *meh* and others are just terrible (those will get finished just not anytime soon). So without getting into the psychology of why in the heck I would have so many books going on at once why don't I just tell you what it is that I am currently reading???

Love Cat and Bones. I'm about half way through with this and love it love it love it. I don't know why I am online when I could be reading this book!

Tellharlequin.com sent this one to me (along with another) to review. I haven't read a Presents in about 20 years. I am only 1 chapter into it so I am not far enough to have any judgement as of yet.

It has been literally years since I read the first book in this series. An interesting paranormal mystery series though. Not sure why more people aren't talking about these Harper Connelly books. I am about half way through it and am liking it quite a bit.

Not my typical reading material but someone had reviewed it and it sounded really good. I am not that far into the book but the little bit I have read I have to say it sure is funny!

Love Marjorie M Liu's Dirk and Steele books. I just started this one so I don't have much of an opinion yet.

Blog Hopping Time!!!!

Jennifer over at Crazy For Books hosts this awesome weekly event where we provide a link to our book blogs and post it on her site making it super easy to get our blogs out there and help us find some terrific blogs too. Hop on over and check out the rules and sign up!

Question of the week is....

Do you listen to music when you read? If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?


My answer is: Nope, very rarely. I tend to tune everything out while I am reading. Sometimes it is harder than other times. I don't like to add any other distractions to the background that I would just tune out anyway. Now in all honestly I love music. I usually have it going all the time but find that when I am reading and trying to listen to my favorite tunes I end up singing along with the music and not absorb what I am reading. I hate when I have to go back and read a paragraph over again because I wasn't paying attention.

Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux

Book Description....


It was her father's dying wish that Samantha Elliot search for her grandmother, who'd disappeared from Louisville when she was a baby. So here she was, in big, dirty New York City...her parents were dead, her divorce was final, and she was all alone....



Michael Taggert was Samantha's landlord, and he was easily the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. He was charming, too -- his zest for life was so contagious that in his presence Sam bloomed like a flower after the rain. Yet Mike could only get so far with her -- when he tried to get closer, it was like running into a brick wall.



But Mike wouldn't give up. As they probed her grandmother's past, he was slowly uncovering the joy and affection Samantha had buried long ago -- and leading them closer to the dangerous truth about a bloody spring night in 1928, and a seductive blues singer named Maxie....

My Thoughts......
 
I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't. I didn't like Samantha. Deveraux tried to make her such a complex character that when it all came down to it the reasoning behind her attitude towards Michael it was a bit of a let down. I wont get into the specifics but Samantha is not a strong female lead. Over the years my tastes in romance have matured to a point that I need a kick ass woman, one that takes the crap that life can throw at her and kick it in the balls. Samantha is not this woman. After losing her mother and her grandfather she took care of her father while still a young girl. When she became an adult she married and then took care of her husband. When her marriage failed she went back to her father only to find he was dying. Once he was gone, to fullfill his will she had to move to New York and live in the apartment her father set up for one year while looking for her long lost grandmother. Michael Taggert was the owner of her new apartment.
 
When faced with these obsticles in life Samantha rolled over and sank into a depression. She also was afraid to walk around the block in her new city. Not exactly sheltered growing up I am still not sure what in her character would terrify her of stepping outside her door. She grew up in Santa Fe. Not a tiny farming town in the middle of the country.
 
Now for Michael....Never really got a good grip on him. It starts out with Sam meeting Michael while he had been playing football with some buddies and that he was toned and obviously worked out. Later in the book Sam was thinking about how much she loved his body builder's body. To me, a man who works out and in shape is completely different than one who is a body builder. But whatever. The big issue I had with Mike was that he liked Samantha. I couldn't see the connection. I didn't understand him wanted to pursue her. She would let him kiss her then run for the hills. She would spend days ignoring him. She was either hot or cold....mostly cold. I don't even know if it was the puzzle of her psyche that intrigued him.
 
There are two things in this book that I found very redeeming.
 
1-The Taggert/Montgomery Clan--They came for a visit to "meet" Samantha because finally Michael was interested in someone. I loved the picnic scene. I liked his whole family. His twin brother Kane was so very interesting by the way. I think I liked him more than I liked Michael.
 
2-The Mystery of Maxie--Although I was initially confused as to the timeline of her disappearance overall the mystery was intriguing. She disappeared when Sam was a baby but in New York Sam and Mike were investigating what happened when she disappeared in 1928 which would make the entire timeline wonky. It would make Sam 70 odd years old. It really took me forever to figure out that Maxie had indeed disappeared in 1928 when she then met and married Cal, Samantha's Grandfather. Almost 40 years later she disappeared again. So, Sam is trying to find out why she ran away in the late 60s but also trying to find out what happened in 1928. Crystal Clear. Once I figured that out I was really interested in reading about Maxie and her life as a gangster's girl. Super interesting.
 
Unfortunately these points were not enough to redeem the book for me. If I can't like the characters it is hard for me to enjoy the book. I will have to read Kane's book though....he sounds yummy. My Rating 2.5 Stars.

Help celebrate Reading Angel's 500 follower milestone!

A Shelfari buddy of mine (Reading Angel) is tickled pink to have reached an awesome milestone of 500 followers. To celebrate she is giving away an awesome prize. This giveaway is open to her US and her international followers too! You do have to be 16 years old though. So, go enter, support her and follow her too. She reviews some of the most incredible books too by the way. Between her and Candace I have increased my TBR by literally hundreds. Angel by the way was the one who suggested the Sin Craven books by Jenna Maclaine. Super Fab books by the way. Eternally grateful for her pimping them.

Blog Hopping Time!!!!

Jennifer over at Crazy For Books hosts this awesome weekly event starting every Friday. Its a great oportunity to find new blogs and get yours out there. I have found some really terrific blogs while doing this!

In the spirit of the blog I encourage you to skip on over to her blog and sign up.

My Answer for the Question of the Week....

Who is your favorite new-to-you author so far this year?

Robyn Carr definitely.

Robyn's Virgin River series is so fantastic. All of them that I have read have received top ratings. Virgin River is the first in the series and I gave it 4.5 stars back in January. Since then I have read 7 more of the 10 books. My favorite is Shelter Mountain. Anyone who loves that some town community series in romance (very similar to Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove books) will definitely love these books. I haven't recommended them to a person yet who hasn't enjoyed their time in Virgin River.

What's in My Cart?

I see various blogs offering up slightly different versions of "Mailbox Monday" where they list the books they received in their mailbox (hence the name). I don't get but a couple books a year in the mail but I do purchase many from my local Walmart. I love browsing the book isle at Walmart. I like that the book prices are fairly reasonable. Plus my sister ends up purchasing them for me (of course with my money) because she works there and gets a discount. Every couple of weeks I end up with a handful of newly purchased books and now I have my own meme to showcase them. The beauty of it....I can do this any day of the week...only because I can't think of anything super catchy to make either a rhyme or an alliteration out of What's In My Cart and a day of the week. Oh well.

So without further ado I welcome you to....

(possible change in the future of the pic but for now this is it...)

So, what did find it's way into my cart last trip to Walmart????

Want to win 5 fantastic summer YA reads?

Lori over at Pure Imagination is hosting a fantabulous giveaway to celebrate so much. She is giving away these great books....

And since she reached over 900 followers (which I now think she is at 1110 even) she added yet another book....

Help her celebrate! Get over there now!

Time for the Blog Hop!!!

Every Friday Crazy-for-books hosts a great meme to help get our book blog out there for others to find. I have found so many great ones that I honestly spend hours just catching up with them all.

This week we are also talking about what book we are currently reading.  I started...

Simply Irresistible by Rachel Gibson. This is the first book in her Chinook Hockey series and so far it is pretty enjoyable. Here is a synopsis...

Georgeanne Howard, charm school graduate and Southern belle extraordinaire, leaves her fiancé at the altar when she realizes she just can't marry a man old enough to be her grandfather, no matter how rich he is. John Kowalsky unknowingly helps her escape, and only when it's too late does he realize that he's absconded with his boss's bride. At the height of his hockey career, this bad boy isn't looking to be anybody's savior but his own, no matter how beautiful this angel may be. But a long night stretches ahead of them--a night too sultry to resist temptation.




When Georgeanne and John meet again, she is on her way to becoming Seattle's domestic darling and he is past his hell raising days. But he is shocked to learn that their single unforgettable night in paradise produced a daughter, and he is determined to be part of her life. Georgeanne has loved John since the moment she jumped into his little red Corvette seven years ago, but she doesn't want to risk her heart again. Is he really a changed man? And will he risk the wrath of his boss, and one final chance at glory, to prove that this time his love will be everlasting?

Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan

I cut my paranormal teeth on Christine Feehan's Dark Prince. It forever holds a spot in my heart because of this. I love that book. Over the years I have read every book that came after it with excitement and glee. After a point though I noticed I wasn't enjoying them nearly as much as I did at the beginning. I am honestly not sure if this is because I am growing and maturing as a reader or that the books just aren't or possibly both.

Carpathian Males by nature, are completely Alpha. Expecting their women to cower behind them and stay put because they decree it. In my ripe old age of Thirtysomething I now expect my heroines to be assertive and fully capable of kicking some vampire butt along side their men.

These books are still in the dark ages and all the men still beat their chests and grunt at their women to obey them (with the exception of two women who were not brought up Carpathian the women do listen too...for the most part.) But what I want to know is what is the point of being able to dissolve into mist, shift into an eagle or a wolf, or call down lightening if the XY's in your life won't allow it when it comes to fighting for your people's future.

Anyway, I should probably talk about this book now....

Dark Celebration is the 14th or the 17th book in the series, depending on if you count the 3 novellas published in separate anthologies. It is a full on Carpathian Reunion which sounds super cool unless you are like me and read the last book in 2006 and can't remember all but a handful of the characters. While reading the book I often had to stop and reflect (actually stop and try to remember)who certain characters were.

I read the hardcover edition of the book and there were approximately 300 pages of actual storyline. There were quite a few recipes after the end of the book submitted by Feehan Fans around the world. The recipes were a tie in to the Christmas celebration the Carpathians were having. I didn't really pay much attention to them to tell the truth.

In the book there were so many couples that I had a hard time keeping them straight. Also every couple had sex at least once. I also think that once a couple of them had sex we never heard about them again. It all felt a little gratuitous. Because every couple was engaging in some hot lovin' Feehan made each couple repeat that the other was their lifemate and without their other half they would be lost. After having read all of the books prior to this, I started getting annoyed with the repetitiveness of it all. Granted had I not read any of the books before this one some of it might have been good to know but even then a newbie to the series would have been irritated too.

Problem number one I had with this book....
Way too many characters. Seriously. There were at least 13 couples in addition to 2 couples not yet joined, one family friend, parents of two of the girls, one teenage Carpathian, and at least 10 children. So, I lost count at 44 people in this book.

Problem number two I had with this book....
No resolution to the big bad evil that was stalking our Carpathian women. They were all in very real danger but other than a couple battles that didn't actually take out the big baddie there was no real ending. Also a storyline was started and I have to assume it will continue in the next book Dark Possession and yet another storyline started with a 16 year old and her lifemate that I have to assume will be completed in the future as she is too young at this point to have a credible storyline.

So I honestly have only two really big complaints about this book. But they are doozies. In general Feehan's Carpathian books are all stand alone books because each one is about a different couple. This book, however cannot be enjoyed as a stand alone. Someone not familiar with the series could not fully appreciate it and would be very confused. Heck, I have read all the books and found myself confused.

So, my recommendation is....

Read it if you are already a fan of the series. Get the book from your local library. Unless of course you are like me and collect all her books. When purchasing it you might want to scour your Used Book stores and Thrift Stores looking for it. I honestly don't think it is worth full price.

My rating: 2/5

Update on My TBR Challenge

This is a year long challenge and before the start of the year we were to choose 12 different books to read for the year. In addition we were able to choose 12 alternatives to give us a little variety for the challenge. It is officially 1/2 way through the year and I thought I would post an update as to where I was for this particular challenge more for my benefit than yours.


The books crossed off are ones that I have read. 10 down. I do plan on reading all 24 books though so I better step it up.


1-Imitation in Death by JD Robb (4 Stars)
2-The Hollows by Nora Roberts
3-Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard (4.5 Stars)
4-Blood Bound by Patricia Biggs
5-Aphrodite's Secret by Julie Kenner (4 Stars)
6-The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine (4 Stars)
7-Unleash The Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4.5 stars)
8-Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn
9-A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
10-She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren
11-Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux
12-Dangerous Tides by Christine Feehan


Alternate List


1-The Nerd Who Loved Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson
2-Your Coffin Or Mine? by Kimber Raye
3-Causing Havoc by Lori Foster (4.5 stars)
4-Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan
5-Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (5 Stars)
6-Master of the Night by Angela Knight (2 stars)
7-Tangled up In You by Rachel Gibson
8-Irresistable by Susan Mallery (4.5 Stars)
9-Evermore by Lynn Viehl
10-Twin of Ice by Jude Deveraux
11-Wild Jinx by Sandra Hill
12-With This Ring by Amanda Quick

Wind Warrior a Sneak Peek

Cynthia Roberts is an up and coming author with her first book Wind Warrior scheduled to be released next week. Originally I was going to spot light her book and then do an interview with her but time has got away from me and I have yet to do that. I would actually prefer to read the book first so I can get a little more idea on her writing style and such but haven't got a copy yet. Again it was my fault. Ms. Roberts was nice enough to offer to send it to me in pdf form but I haven't taken her up on it. I just don't want to sit at my computer reading when I am much more comfortable laying in bed reading. So that leaves my Kindle. Yes I have one. Do I know how to work it? Nope. I do know that you can upload pdfs into it but I have technology issues. I can't even hook up my DVD player let alone working my Kindle.

Anyway, I am planning on reading her book when I can so then I can do an honest review and hopefully an interview with her. She is a super nice lady and her schedule is a little strapped right now too. By the way, she could use some prayers and well wishing thoughts sent her way. Her mom is undergoing a battle against Breast Cancer and will need whatever added support she can get even from a bunch of strange women over the Internet.

So, no book review on Wind Warrior but I do have a book trailer for you. I am interested in seeing how she does an Indian novel suitable for the women of the new century. I loved Indian books back in the day. Cassie Edwards and  Janelle Taylor wrote some of my very favorites. If anyone does read it before I do, let me know what you think.....

You can find her at her website Here

Now for the trailer....

Waiting on Wednesday....but on Thursday

I normally don't participate in this meme since so many times the books you are anxiously waiting for are the same every week, so anyway, I am not going into great detail on who started the meme (I honestly have no clue LOL) but will say the purpose is to spread your giddy anticipation onto someone else about a book you just can't wait for it to get released. Anyway, my "Waiting on Wednesday" book is.....

Wicked Highlander by Donna Grant

A HEART IN CHAINS...
The most reckless and fierce of the MacLeod brothers, Quinn is a prisoner of the god inside him, tormented by his inability to save his family from slaughter. His fury governs him, and day by day he loses himself to the darkness in his soul. But Quinn has a profound yearning for a woman’s love...
A PASSION UNBOUND...


Raised by Druids, the achingly beautiful Marcail is as spellbinding as the ancient magic that surges through her body. To Quinn, she is the most desirable woman he has ever known. But to his enemy Deirdre, she is the perfect bait to lure Quinn into her trap. Once the two lovers are in her wicked grasp, their passion will be put to the ultimate test...

I can't wait for this to come out. I am so fascinated with Quinn (love the name too!) It won't be here until 11/2/10 so we have quite a wait but in the mean time...

Forbidden Highlander just came out and I am totally going to read it soon!

Dangerous Highlander by Donna Grant

Synopsis courtesy of Shelfari....
First in a breathtaking new series, the bold and passionate Lucan MacLeod—one of three brothers cursed by dark magic for eternity—is driven by desire for the one woman he dare not let himself possess… He is magnificently strong—and dangerously seductive. One of the fiercest of his clan, Lucan MacLeod is a legend among warriors, inspiring fear in man and woman alike. For three hundred years, he has locked himself away from the world, hiding the vengeful god imprisoned in his soul. But then, a young lass caught in a raging storm awakens his deepest impulses…and darkest desires. Cara doesn’t believe the rumors about MacLeod castle—until the majestic Highland warrior appears like a fiery vision in the storm, pulling her into his powerful arms, and into his world of magic and Druids. An epic war between good and evil is brewing. And Lucan must battle his all-consuming attraction for Cara—or surrender to the flames of a reckless, impossible love that threatens to destroy them both…

My Thoughts....
I love paranormal books. I love historical romances. Having both in the same book makes Christina a happy girl. Among a sub genre that is filled with vampires and werewolves I love when I read a book that is altogether different. Somewhat similar to Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld....Lucan and his brothers all house a god inside their bodies. Grant does a great job of explaining how and why this all happened. I am not going to go into it because, well, I think you should read the book.

What I liked....The Bothers. Knowing that danger and evil were coming, they felt that Cara should learn to protect herself. Realistically they knew she would not have a chance against others like themselves (men with gods) but there were other creatures that she could defend herself against, so they taught her how to fight. In many other historical romances you find the Alpha male simply stating "I will protect her." Lucan is an Alpha male but it was refreshing to read a book where the men were realistic enough to know that they might be able to protect the women at all times.

Also, we are introduced to additional warriors with gods that I am sure will end up with their own books. One in particular had an intense hatred for Cara based on her ancestors. I found him completely fascinating and even now am not sure if he is a good guy or a bad guy.

What I didn't like... I thought that the connection with Cara and Lucan was not there at first. Sure Grant wrote it that way but I was not a believer until after Cara's training started. That's it. I really have  nothing else that struck me not quite right with the book.

Overall, a great read. 4.5 Stars! I am very much looking forward to the next book that is out soon. It is Fallon's story, Lucan's older brother. I can't wait to read it!