The Weekly Read 3/31: Ten Second Reviews

Oh the books in the pile to read… I slowed down this past week. Things are stacked up nice and high as a friend dropped off bags and bags of books she was taking to the used bookstore, but as I need more books – cough – she let me dig through them first. I won’t even attempt to list them here.

I also spent a lot of time reading ebooks this week. I had a knitting project I needed to finish and ebooks work wonderfully for that. I can read and knit at the same time, so I made good progress on both.

From my archives, I pulled up Gail R. Delany’s The Phoenix Rebellion series that was published with Triskelion. I sure hope she finds a new home, preferably print, for this series. Damn good story and I adore her main hero, Nick Tanner. I want to wrap my arms around that man and never let him go. Hope you have an agent, Gail! I kept thinking back to Independence Day, Star Trek, Battlestar Gallactica and other sci-fi movies and series. Alien invasion, gutsy humans fighting back, handsome heroes and heroines to save the day. What more could a sci-fi fan want? Oh yeah, hot sex too. Good stuff.

Buying Mackenzie’s Baby by Kim Rees. Kim likes to pull her readers into deep emotional torment. There were times I wanted to take the hero and heroine and smack their heads together. They were so rotten to each other and never really talked things out. Though if they’d done it sooner, I guess there wouldn’t be much of a story there, right? Deep and emotionally charged, a story of deep hurt brought on by miscommunication and mistaken intentions. Available at Samhain.

Cowgirl Up and Ride by Lorelei James. Hot stuff, baby! Whew! Those cowboys can really twist a girl up. Then again, when the cowgirl in question has her man in her sights, he doesn’t stand much of a chance. Good story, told well. Also from Samhain. In fact, they got my ebook business last week.

How to Conjure a Man and Lady Lillian’s Guide by Nancy Lindquist. Nancy is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. She has a fresh voice and her characters and plots aren’t run of the mill by the stretch of anyone’s imaginations. Both these books are available from Samhain, but I also noticed she has a book with debuting epub Lyrical Press. In fact, several of the Dark Eden authors have moved to Lyrical, me included, so I’m thrilled to see I’ll be at a house with Nancy. Other books of hers to look out for: I Shagged the Sherriff and Red Hot Alaskan Men.

One Night on a Balcony by Samantha Lucas opens with a very hot scene of sex on the balcony, only the heroine is watching and not participating. From there it only gets hotter. And yes, she does get to participate at some point. Short and sweet, very satisfying.

Unholy Vows by Ciar Cullen. A story within a story. A woman writes an erotic tale starring her ex-husband’s younger brother and he reads it. Whew! Another writer with a voice that stands out from the crowd, I really like Ciar’s style.

Jmo, what did you get into this past week? I see you read a book I also really like, Over Hexed. Ms Thompson is a good writer. I also liked the two nerd in love books of hers I read a while back. We may have to do a review for the blog on that one. Or maybe we’ll do it for the sequel.

What did Jmo read? What did Jmo read? Gimme a minute I’m trying to remember. So many books and so little grey matter left to think with. Seriously, I had a trio of greats books last week. Two new to me and one I love to reread.

Over Hexed by Vickie Lewis Thompson.
This is my first book by her, but it won’t be my last. The book centers around two witches—you know how I loved witches—who have been exiled to small town life. But like they say you can take the witch out of the city, but you still got a witch on your hands. The pair decide to do some magical matchmaking by turning the town stud into the town nerd then bring his soul mate to town.

This book was everything I look for in a book, funny and romantic to its core. The butter scene alone was worth the price of the book.

The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison.
This series keeps getting better. Book six, answers all those questions that have been keeping me up at night. A tight storyline kept me reading. Ok, as long as you promise not to tell my boss, I’ll tell you a secret. I may have come back from lunch late a couple days trying to finish it. There was only one thing wrong with this book. It ended! Now I must wait a year for my next dose.

The Kitchen Witch by Annette Blair
I first read this book a few years ago, but with the latest book Gone with the Witch coming out, SOON!, I wanted to go back to the book that made me fall in love with this series. The Kitchen Witch is cute funny story that is sure to warm your heart. Ms. Blair has a humorous way that draws you into her books.

Melody Seabright might not be a witch but she bespells Shane, the stuffed shirted who lives in her building. She melts his heart just like she did mine. If you’re looking for a feel good book, you can’t go wrong with this book and the ones that come later in the series.

Well, that’s my reads for the week. I’ll be back next week with more, if these stupid allergies will let me read more than 3 paragraphs before my eyes start burning and I have to go to sleep.

The Weekly Read: Ten Second Reviews

I went on a book buying spree last week and didn’t realize until I got home, I’d picked up one which is the final of a trilogy. I hate that. I want to read the books in order and when Costco only has the one… sigh. I did pick up many, a dozen or so, new books to keep me going. Even borrowed a couple.

Fresh off the press and first for last week, Skinny Dipping by Connie Brockway. Awesome book! I now have to read Hot Dish, her first venture into contemporary. Loved her hero right from the start. He wasn’t perfect, but oh what a contrast to her heroine who was very not typical. I’m liking books about older couples, dare I say middle-aged? My crit partners took exception to that at our last meeting, but the fact is, forty-something is hitting middle aged.

More Elizabeth Bevarly. Two books I borrowed and wanted to return before they got lost in my piles, never to be seen by their owner again. Hmm, that would be the same book owner who loaned me Skinny Dipping. I digress. The Ring on her Finger and Just Like a Man are both witty, fast paced and fun. I have couple more of hers in a bag at my feet. Titles noted above. Yes, I really did go book and yarn shopping last week. Two things I don’t need to buy more of. And I’m hiding them from dearest hubby who is still waiting to see if there is spare cash for his allowance. Ahem.

A theme I’m finding running through E. Bevarly’s books is that at least one person in the book is of great wealth. And invariably that one person gets hooked up with a person who does not have great wealth, or if they have some wealth, they drug themselves up from the wrong side of the tracks to get it. The juxtaposition is interesting and often times, one of them is damaged in some way. For example, the heiress in Ring on Her Finger has dyslexia, but her wealthy family couldn’t deal with her so-called imperfection. I don’t get this, but even in my own family have seen this attitude. My mother is dyslexic but overcame it with the help of a wise and wonderful teacher decades before it was seen as a learning disability. So it was no surprise when one of my nephews was diagnosed with it, but his parents, sadly one of which was one of my siblings who should have known better, kept it hidden like it was dirty secret. It still isn’t discussed. The kid, however, is doing fabulously. Has a steady job, owns his own condo, dates a nice girl. Happy so far.

Just Like a Man predates You’ve got Male which I read a few weeks ago, though I don’t know if it is the first book of the series. I hate it when publishers don’t make that clear BTW. I can see the set up for many books to come as they continue to chase the bad guy with the code name Sorcerer. Lots of twists and turns, edgy, sexy and exciting to read. By ignoring my house, family and job, I read it in one day. She’s just that good. Funny and heart wrenching, Ms. Bevarly covers all the basics and spins an enchanting, gripping tale.

Jennifer Crusie got my attention next. Anyone But You and Fast Women. Both enjoyable reads with more seasoned heroines. And both have dogs which help further the plots. Very different books, but great for those of us feeling a little gray and used by life.

Then, while the teen had his friends over – total of six of them between 16 and 17 years old who dominated my little living room with their tall bodies and loud voices – I pulled up a couple ebooks on my computer. When we have a party night, I sit there like a black hole, they ignore me until I bring out more food from the kitchen, but I’m free to sit, read, knit and generally keep tabs on them. Imagine reading a very hot D/s book on a computer screen, while these walking, eating, semi-intelligent beings wander around cheering at each crash and burn on the game system. Yup. An experience to be sure. I read Gail Faulkner’s Into His Keeping and kept looking to see if the one standing behind my chair was watching the game or watching my computer screen. Thankfully they were more interested in Super Mario. If only they’d known. Anyhow, in a mood to inspire myself to finish writing the sequel to Halo in Her Pocket, I re-read Gail’s book as well as Doreen Orsini’s No One But Madison. Very well written, very emotional, very clear reasons given for the D/s lifestyle. Both classics. I believe you can still get Gail’s from Ellora’s Cave. I’m hoping Doreen’s, originally published by Triskelion, is one book she recently contracted with EC. I’ve heard rumors about new expanded scenes and I’m dying to read them.

Just started today, My Man Pendleton by Elizabeth Bevarly. Can’t get enough of that woman’s writing. More next week.

Still hidden in the bathroom for those moments alone, One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus. Not a romance, it’s one of those books my friends in book groups recommended to me. A fictional story written as if from the diary and letters of May Dodd, one thousand white women are sent to bond with the Cheyenne in exchange for one thousand horses. The Cheyenne logic being that their society is matrilineal, therefore to keep their culture alive, they must marry into the white man’s world. Looking good so far. Slow read as the writing is so very different from the fast paced style of today.

Jmo, what did you get into this past week?

Before I get to my weekly review, let me preface this by saying I’m in the middle of edits. That said I’ve only got one book to share this week and I’m reaching way back into my TBR pile for it.

For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison.

I’ve truly enjoyed this series. This installment gives the same intriguing story you’ve come to love. Harrison just won’t let you get comfy. The book is fast paced and takes you through a wringer until the very end. FAFDM is a definite nail biter.

Rachel just can’t seem to catch a break as the city explodes around her as everyone hunts for the Focus. Demons, vampires, werewolves…this book has it all. If you haven’t read this series, you need to. I would give more info about the book, but believe me saying anymore would give away too much.

Okay for next week, I promise to try and read faster. The new Kim Harrison book is sitting on my shelf, along with a couple other books I hope to finish by next Monday, if my editors will stop sending me edits.

hehehehe, a lesser demon sniggers just beyond this plane of existence we call the planet Earth.