The Weekly Read 4/8: Ten Second Reviews

One week until Tax Day and yes, I finally got the paperwork to my accountant. Now I have to steal – uh, I mean borrow, yeah, that’s it – borrow a bunch of money from the kid to pay what we owe. Fortunately, he’s getting a nice refund and we’re getting a good chunk back in May so his savings will rebound nicely.

Ebooks still led the charge as I’m working on crocheting another blanket. This one for Jmo. He’ll love it. Already I have to keep the window open and ceiling fan on while working on it or I get too warm. Anyhow, ebooks. Last time it was Samhain, this time I went shopping at Cobblestone. Easy ordering there, love the cover art and some of my favorite e-authors can be found there.

Incognito: Pursuing Penelope by Madison Layle and Anna Leigh Keaton. The previous book in the series, Conquering Connie, ended with a fire and a to-be-continued line. I really hate those, but Penelope picked up immediately with the woman suspected of setting the fire being rescued by two hunky firemen. What made this particularly intriguing, was not 24 hours after finishing this book, in which the heroine had come from an obscure polygamist religious group, I read about the 400 children being liberated from a similar situation in Texas. It underscored the book and how sex and marriage can be twisted into something evil or good. It also made me wonder about those women and children rescued in Texas.

Sweetest Desires by Anna Leigh Keaton. Apparently I’m in a Valentine’s frame of mind. After reading this one, and Meghan’s Submission, I went back and bought another Valentine’s story that I’ll get to next week. In this one, hotel maid is given a box of special truffles to share with someone special. Only she has no one. After falling asleep by mistake in the suite of a hotel guest, she is awakened by his return. He eats one of her truffles then invites her to dinner. He’s a lonely widower, far out of touch with the dating scene, particularly with a woman nearly twenty years younger than he is. They fumble, hit, miss, misunderstand, part badly then come together again six months later. Funnily enough, there’s a fire in this book too. I love Anna Leigh Keaton’s writing anyway. I have several of her other books which involve more hot and hunky firemen and a police officer, the To Serve and Protect series. Good writing, Anna. Keep ‘em coming!

Risking it All by Anna Leigh Keaton. Yup, another ALK book. Ex-supermodel, injured and hurting returns to the ranch of her teenage crush to serve as his housekeeper and nanny. A bit of a stretch, but a poignant and touching story. Again, fabulous writing. And yes, there was a fire in this one too. In the past and the source of the injuries to the heroine. Hmm, is ALK a closet pyro? Or is she married to a fireman? Hot hero, good book.

Meghan’s Submission by Cassandra Moore. A Valentine’s night to remember. Meghan, a bank teller by day, finds a yellow rose with a note attached. She follows the instructions and finds herself in a penthouse suite with a sweet cook. He’s set up the suite for another couple, but when one falls ill and plans are canceled, what’s a guy to do? He watches Meghan put the flower in the vase and since dinner is already cooked, and the room paid for, why let it all to waste? A tasty treat to keep your sweet tooth sharpened for next Valentine’s.

Fallen Angels by Lori Foster. Because reading print books in one setting can be difficult these days, the separation of three books in one binding is nice. Three stories all intertwined by the characters involved. Lori writes strong alpha males and clever heroines with witty banter and smart plots. Two PIs, one secretary, three hot stories.

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas. This is one case where I’d love it if the publishing house would list the order in which books should be read inside the cover. I know I’ve read two books that chronologically come after this one, but since I read them out of order, my mind is a little twisted. Drives me nuts. Overall, as a stand-alone, an entertaining historical. She goes into a few details I’ve not seen in other historical, though I am NOT a Regency or Victorian expert by any means. I do feel as if I learned a little history, the deeper day to day details history books don’t provide. Well written and loveable characters I’m happy to see pop up in other books.

Morning Light by Catherine Anderson. This one stymied me a little. Love the message – paranormal and deep religious faith are not mutually exclusive. You can believe in ESP and God at the same time. Where it hung me up was the writing and a tendency to get preachy. Catholic guilt. Got it. Don’t need to keep going on. Stilted dialogue and somewhat stiff prose didn’t help much, but great plot. Used intelligence to work the hero around to accepting clairvoyance as being a divine gift and not a parlor trick. Better writing would have made the book more enjoyable, instead, it was a bit painful at times and the stiff dialogue, along with long sermons, slowed things down and broke my concentration. Overall, worth reading, just be prepared.

Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. JUST finished this one. Have been dying to read it ever since I finished Match Me if You Can and nearly screamed for joy when I found the HB edition marked down to $5.95 at Borders. Love, love, love this book. Had to set it down at 4 am and get some sleep, but then woke up to dive right back into it. Get the list from SEP’s website and read them in order. Do not stop until you get to the end of this one. You can’t help but fall in love with the professional athletes and possibly even football as well. As soon as pre-season starts up again I’m picking up the books at the beginning and reading them again. Could become a yearly tradition.

Jmo, what did you get into this past week?

What did Jmo read?

Well, I only managed to finish one book this week. Don’t ask me how many I have started. My weekly trip to the retail version of hell produced one heck of a read. I rarely go out on a limb and try a new writer without a bucket-load of recommendations to make me plop my hard earned money done. The minute I thumbed to the first page of Howl at the Moon I was hooked. The first line got me!

Howling at the Moon by Karen MacInerney was more than a surprise it was the highlight of my month. This book was a pleasure to devour. That’s the only way I can describe it. Howl at the Moon is a perfect blend of mystery, romance and comedy. I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed this book.

Sophie Garou is your normal everyday auditor, well if you think werewolves are your normal everyday definition of auditors. When her mom is arrested for murder, Sophie goes into Nancy Drew mode to find the real killer. Things would be easier if the full moon wasn’t days away, her boyfriend knew she was a werewolf and if the sexiest werewolf she’s even seen would just co-operate and let her find the killer.

That’s my read for the week. What’s sitting in my pile? Small Favors by Jim Butcher. Now if my wife can hurry up and finish it, I can get my greedy hands on it. think she’ll notice if I spiked her iced tea and just took it? Don’t answer that.

We Read What We Write: Ten Second Reviews

I'm sure the big question bugging y'all is what the heck do we read when we aren't writing and chatting and generally living life.

Okay, so you may be too busy to comtemplate such burning questions, however, we're going to tell you anyway. And maybe, just maybe, I can slow down this obsession of mine just a little. If my husband ever finds out how much I read he may disown me. My brand new bookcases are already groaning with books from my past and the many new additions I've made to the collection in the last year or so.

So here goes. Sitting in the just read pile beside MorganO's chair you will find:

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn. My first JQ book and I loved it. A fun read. I believe in fun, so this is a very high compliment from me.

First Lady by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I adore SEP and this book was no exception. I stayed up all night to finish it.

Just Imagine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. A fabulous look at the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. Have I mentioned I love SEP? I'm saving the football books for next August to read again.

The Other Woman by Brenda Novak. Book #7 of her Dundee Idaho series, I liked it as much as the first one I read (A Husband of Her Own). Interestingly enough, the only book I haven't read in the series was the first one (A Baby of Her Own). I still need to find it. Good thing we have a used book store with an extensive HQ section. I just discovered there's a book #8. Oh honeyyyy...

Unexpected by Lori Foster. Another author I personally just discovered. I'm hooked on Lori Foster and enjoyed this little break from her SBC series and the Wild/Winston Brothers. All good choices.

Lip Service by Lori Foster and Julie Elizabeth Leto. A nice collaberation but not Lori's finest work. Still, both stories were enjoyable.

That Camden Summer by LaVyrle Spencer. In this past year I've rediscovered LaVryle. She's one of those authors you just have to read. Very detailed with her historical facts, I prefer her historicals to her contemporaries, but that doesn't mean her contemps are bad.

You've Got Male by Elizabeth Bevarly. I MUST get more of her books. Loved it. Computer geeks and ubersecret spies, what's not to love? I can truly identify with a woman who works in her jammies.

And last but not least, in my hands as I edit and type, Got Your Number by Stephanie Bond. I picked this one up based on how much I loved her book Whole Lotta Trouble. I'm not that far into it, but already I can tell it will be just as good.

Now that's a whole lotta books in the past week or so. Why? Well, when I can't sleep because my cold keeps me from breathing, the books take me away and I forget all about feeling crummy. Not even movies will take me away like just settling down to read. Later, when the cold is gone, I won't read so much, but for now the books work better than Dayquil for keeping me going. That and my box of Puffs.

So what has Jmo been reading?

Well you know me. I’ve been neck deep in comedies. Strangely enough all of them are vampires.

First up:

The Accidental Vampire by Lynsay Sands:

This is the one series I can’t wait to read with each new book. Sands take on vamps is original and her comedic timing is spot on.

Evi Black isn’t a vampire by choice. She doesn’t even know how she became one. She just knows her trip to Mexico got her more than Montezuma’s Revenge to show for her troubles. When her best friend puts an ad in the personals looking for her a mate, the trouble really starts. Victor Argeneau shows up along with other vamps willing to take a chance on finding true love. Now Victor has to somehow discover the secret of Evi’s transformation and win her heart before someone kills her.

By the end of the book I couldn’t wait for the next. This series has been fantastic since book 1 and this installment was no exception.

And lucky I only had to wait a couple weeks for

Vampires are Forever, Book 8.

I must say this one I’ve been waiting for. Thomas Argeneau is the perfect example of what a vampire shouldn’t be. He isn’t dark and brooding. If anything, he’s the life of the party. When his cousins entrust finding their wayward mother to him, no one is more surprised than him. Inez Urso works for the Argeneau family and isn’t happy when her boss calls and tells her, she has to baby-sit Thomas while he searches for their mother. The surprises keep coming when Thomas discovers Inez is the lifemate he’s been looking for. Now, he must try to keep her alive as the man responsible for his aunt’s disappearance decides Inez is too close to finding the missing Marguerite Argeneau.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. the only problem I had with it was the last page left me hanging and drooling for the next book. Marguerite’s story!

And the last on my just read list

The Undead Next Door by Kerrelyn Sparks

I fell in love with the first book in this series, How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire. This series just keeps getting better.

In this volume we finally get the story of Jean-Luc Escharpe, vampire, swordsman, coven leader, fashion designer. Heather Westfield has always wanted to become a fashion designer but a bad marriage kept her dreams just that dreams. Meeting Jean Luc gave her a chance at making them come true until a killer from Jean’s past comes back with murder on his mind, hers. Now, Jean must battle his mortal enemy and his own heart, as falling in love is the last thing he wants and the very thing he needs.

This book was fast paced and drew me in from the get-go. Sparks brings her characters to live with such vibrancy you can’t help but fall in love with them.

Well those are my books for this week. I hope you all take the time to check them out. If not I’m coming to your house and sucking your blood. Blah! Blah!