Teaser Tuesday December 31, 2013

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:"
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser today is from Parasite by Mira Grant.  It is listed as Science Fiction but the further I read the more I think it could be horror.  

"Dr. Cale's private lab was a small room - even smaller than the office where we'd first gone to speak - with hand-drawn charts and black-and-white photographs of tapeworms covering the wall so completely that I wasn't even sure what color the paint was."

Page 300

Musing Mondays December 30, 2013.

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…  Musing Mondays is sponsored by Should Be Reading.

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

I have a stack of unread books I purchased in the last two months.  Even though I promised myself I would read them before I got any others I have not kept that promise to myself.  One of my recent acquisitions was a free book called Christmas Healing.  This was a different Vampire story that really kept me guessing how it could have a happy ending.   It was a quick read but I was not reading any of the books I had purchased.  

How to Run With a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

Paranormal Romance

What Goodreads says:

Anna Moder has just witnessed a shooting, seen her car pulverized, and rescued a wounded stranger only to discover he’s really a werewolf. And by her recent standards, things are actually looking up. Lycanthropes don’t faze Anna. Doctoring a wolf pack outside Grundy, Alaska, is the closest thing to home life she’s known in years. But hitching a ride to Anchorage with long-absent pack member Caleb Graham—that’s a risk. Part of her itches to whack his nose with a newspaper. The rest is trying unsuccessfully to keep her own paws off every delicious inch of him.

The problem is—Caleb employs his lupine tracking abilities as a notquite- legal bounty hunter, and Anna is suspicious of both him and his profession. On the run from her past, with old problems closing in, she’d like to stay far, far away from anybody with connections to the law. Caleb, however, seems determined to keep her close. Are his intentions noble, or is he working a more predatory angle?

Anna’s been dreaming of returning to a semi-normal life, but now she’s experiencing a strange new urge . . . to join Caleb in running with the wolves.

This is a cute paranormal romance story and is book three in the Naked Werewolf series.  It does a good job of standing alone.  I did not realize it was part of a series until I had finished the book.

This is a story were both are keeping a secret and that secret is what they know about the other.  Anna knows that Caleb is a werewolf and Caleb has been hired to find Anna.  While Anna’s secret is not that earth shattering, Caleb’s almost ends their romance.

I enjoyed the story, the writing and the characters.  Molly Harper  writes interesting and fun stories and How to Run with a Naked Werewolf is no exception.  Pick this one up for a fun read.

Pocket Books published How To Run With a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper in 2013.

Stacking the Shelves December 28, 2013

Some of the Books Stacked on My Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I am adding to my shelves. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what others have on their shelves.

I have not done as much reading over the holidays and have only two book this week.

From Netgalley:  Waking up Pregnant by Mira Lyn Kelly

And I received a book I won:  The Stranger You Know by Andrea Kane

Book Beginnings, December 26, 2013

Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Gilion at Rose City Reader. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading.

Some background:  My son raided my shelves several months ago and has been returning the books a few at a time.  One of the books was Steel Beach by John Varley.  It is a book I picked up used, put on the shelf and never read.  When he returned it he told me to read the first sentence, that it was a real eye catcher.  What do you think?

"In five years, the penis will be obsolete," said the salesman."

"He paused to let this planet-shattering information sink into our amazed brains.  Personally, I didn't know how many more wonders I could absorb before lunch."

Big Sky Secrets (Parable, Montana #6) by Linda Lael Miller

Romance

What Goodreads says:

The First Lady of the West #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller delivers the stunning finale of her acclaimed series set in Parable, Montana; where love awaits.

Self-made tycoon Landry Sutton heads to Hangman Bend's Ranch to sell his land to his brother Zane. Though he's got cowboy in his blood, Landry plans to return to city life before the dust even settles on his boots. Of course, he didn't count on falling for Big Sky Country or Ria Manning.

Ria's starting to settle into country life herself until she has a close encounter of the terrifying kind with a buffalo. Turns out the peeping monster belongs to the cowboy next door and he has her running even more scared than his bison. She wants a home where the buffalo don't roam, and the men don't either. Could Landry's homecoming be her heart's undoing?

Big Sky Secrets, the last book in the Parable, Montana series, is a winner.  Ria is a great character.  She comes with some baggage and is trying to get the life she wants.  Add a sister with problems, a run-away niece, and her neighbor’s buffalo and you have the start to a great story.

The casts of characters from the first books all make at least a cameo appearance but the book is almost all Landry and Ria.  The two have the usual problems getting together but the story is told in such a way that everything seems fresh and new.  I did think I saw at least one hook for a new story featuring a character introduced in Big Sky Secrets.   Since this is listed as the final book in the Parable, Montana series that character will be featured in a new series.

Harlelquin published Big Sky Secrets by Linda Lael Miller in 2013.

Ashes and Alchemy (The Gaslight Chromicles) by Cindy Spencer Pape

Steampunk Romance

What Goodreads says:

"A Gaslight Chronicles novella

London, 1860

Police inspector Sebastian Brown served Queen and country in India before returning to England to investigate supernatural crimes alongside the Order of the Round Table. If his wifeless, childless life feels a little empty sometimes, that's not too great a price to pay in the name of duty.

Minerva Shaw is desperately seeking a doctor when she mistakenly lands on Sebastian's doorstep. Her daughter Ivy has fallen gravely ill with a mysterious illness the same illness, it seems, that's responsible for taking the lives of many of Ivy's classmates.

Seb sniffs a case, and taking in Minnie and Ivy seems the only way to protect them while he solves it. But as mother and daughter work their way into his heart and Seb uses every magickal and technological resource he can muster to uncover the source of the deadly plague, it's he who will need protecting from emotions he'd thought buried long ago."

I love the stories Cindy Spencer Pape has created in the Gaslight Chronicles.  Ashes and Alchemy fits right into the flow that started with Steam and Sorcery.  There is less of the magickal in this story.  Instead there is more of attraction and romance.  Inspector Sebastian Brown and Minerva Shaw are a great couple.  Minerva does not expect romance and is only concerned with her daughter.  Seb feels that he has let down everyone close to him and has walled his heart off.  Of course when life throws them together there is a good story in the making.

It was great seeing characters from the previous books.  Each plays an important part in Seb and Minerva’s story and each helps move the romance forward.  Ashes and Alchemy is a well-planned and interesting story that left me with a nice warm feeling as Seb and Minera got their HEA.   Like previous stories there are some loose ends in Ashes and Alchemy that seem to be hooks for future stories in the Gaslight world.

Ashes and Alchemy can stand-alone but I recommend you read the previous books.  The stories in the Gaslight Chronicles are all a fun read.  Each is novella length making reading the entire series much easier.

Carina Press published Ashes andAlchemy by Cindy Spencer Pape in 2014. 

I received an ARC of Ashes and Alchemy from Netgalley.

Musing Mondays, December 23, 2013

Musing Mondays is sponsored by Should Be Reading and asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
 • Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
 • What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
 • Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

I just finished a book by one of my favorite Science Fiction and Science Fiction Romance authors and it started me thinking about how I discovered her books.  It all started when a friend recommended I buy an eBookwise reader.  This was before Kindle and before Nook.  I followed her advice and then started buying ebooks on eBookwise and Fictionwise.  I loved Fictionwise.  They carried books from major publishers but also from many of the smaller ebook publishers.  That is where I discovered K. S. Augustin's books.  I purchased one of her books, loved it, and immediately purchased every book written by her and offered on Fictionwise.  

Fictionwise is long gone.  Barnes and Noble purchased it when they decided to get into the ebook business.  They changed it, gutted it and eventually shut it down.  I miss it.  I know that the major internet book stores sell books by the smaller publishers but it was easy to find their books on Fictionwise.  It is much more difficult to find them on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  I may be missing other really good authors because there is not a good place to look today.  OK, that is all for this Monday.

Let Me Be the One (The Sullivans #6) by Bella Andre

Romance

What Goodreads Says”

"When Vicki Bennett saved Ryan Sullivan’s life as a teenager, it was the beginning of a close friendship that never wavered despite her failed marriage to someone else and Ryan’s well-earned reputation as a ladies man. So when she suddenly needs a pretend boyfriend to protect herself and her career from a powerful man’s advances, he is the only person she can imagine asking.

Ryan will do anything to protect Vicki from harm, but when their “fake” kisses and caresses lead to an incredibly sensual night that neither of them can resist, will he have made the biggest mistake of all by irreparably jeopardizing their friendship? Or is it possible that what they’ve both been looking for has been right there the whole time…and the perfect combination of wicked and sweet, friendship and love, is finally within reach?"

If you have been reading the Sullivan series you know that Ryan is the major league pitcher and a bit of a playboy.  Vicki Bennett is a friend from high school.  They were only in school together for one year but have kept in touch by email and text for years.  That makes this story a little different.  This is friends finally admitting that they are not only attracted to each other but are in love.  There is a bad guy thrown in for additional tension but most of the tension comes from Ryan and Vicki refusing to admit they are more than just friends.  It makes for a very nice and at times sweet story.

Let Me Be the One can stand on its own but if you have read the entire series to date you will have fun seeing how the other Sullivans are doing.  Ryan and Vickie’s story is a good addition to the series.  Now there are only two Sullivan’s who have not found love.  I hope their stories come out soon.

Harlequin published Let Me Be The One by Bella Andre in 2013.

I received an ARC of Let Me Be The One from Netgalley.

Stacking the Shelves, December 20, 2013

Some of the Books Stacked on My Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I am adding to my shelves. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what others have on their shelves.

I went to the library to check out one audio book and the trip resulted in one audio book and four hard cover books.  I have no resistance.

Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen
Parasite by Mira Grant
Farside by Ben Bova
The Humans by Matt Haig
Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey

Book Beginnings December 20, 2013

Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Gilion at Rose City Reader. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading.

My book beginning today is from a book I checked out from the library yesterday.  I went to get an audio book for when I am driving and promised myself I would not check out anything else.  I came home with one Audio Book and four books.  I have no will power.

Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen is book # 7 in the Royal Spyness Mystery series.  This series is set in the 1930's and features Lady Georgiana Rannaock, 35th in line for the throne of England.  As you might guess it is a fun series filled with real and imaginary characters.  Here is the beginning of Heirs and Graces.

"One thing I should have learned about my mother was that I could not count on her.  After all, she bolted form the family home, abandoning my father and me when I was two, and by the time she resurfaced again in my life she had worked her way through global list of men."

 

Taste of Darkness (Healer 33)by Maria V. Snyder

Fantasy

What Goodreads says:

"She's fought death and won. But how can she fight her fears?

Avry knows hardship and trouble. She fought the plague and survived. She took on King Tohon and defeated him. But now her heart-mate, Kerrick, is missing, and Avry fears he's gone forever.

But there's a more immediate threat. The Skeleton King plots to claim the Fifteen Realms for his own. With armies in disarray and the dead not staying down, Avry's healing powers are needed now more than ever.Torn between love and loyalty, Avry must choose her path carefully. For the future of her world depends on her decision."

Taste of Darkness is the third and final book in the Healer series.  Do not read this as a stand alone.  It starts with Avry waking up and finding Kerrick gone.  There is no lead up to the opening, no explanation of who Avry or Kerrick are, and no explanation of what has gone on before.  It is like you have reading a scene in book two and finished that scene in book 3.  There is some backstory worked in later but it was more a reminder of things past for people who were reading the entire series.  That said it is a great finish to the series.

Look for all the familiar character to make an appearance.  There are surprises, a lot of danger, some romance and a lot of edge of your seat scenes in Taste of Darkness.  Right up until the end this book is true to the title and is filled with very dark scenes.  The book is well written and the plot well developed.  The characters stay true to form.  After looking like nothing is going to work out everything comes to a satisfying conclusion and it is easy to say good by to Avry, Kerrick and the whole gang knowing they are headed for a life full of challenges after defeating danger.

Harlequin published Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder in 2013.

I receive an ARC of Taste of Darkness from Netgalley.

Happy New Year, Baby Fortune by Leaanne Banks

Romance

What Goodreads says: 

"Lullabies and cowboys? USA TODAY bestselling author Leanne Banks kicks off the new Fortunes of Texas continuity with a story of a single mom and the sexy rancher who sweeps her off her feet!

As she rings in the new year in Horseback Hollow, Texas, single mom Stacey Fortune Jones tries to count her blessings. She has an adorable baby girl, Piper; supportive parents; good friends. Best of them all is Colton Foster, her longtime neighbor from the ranch next door. He always seems to be around when she needs him. Trouble is, she may be starting to need him a bit too much.

She's off-limits, Colton keeps telling himself. The tall, muscular rancher turns to mush every time he sees Stacey. But falling for his little sister's best friend seems wrong on so many levels. She's on the rebound. She's got a baby. She's...complicated. What's a big-hearted cowboy to do?"

The story and characters in Happy New Year Baby Fortune just never caught me.  Leanne Banks used several popular tropes.  They are popular because the usually work. They should have.  The characters were well drawn, the plot well thought out but I just never felt the emotion that I expected.  I think the less said the better so let me just finish with I was disappointed in the book.

Harlequin published HappyNew Year, Baby Fortune by Leaanne Banks.

I received a free ARC of Happy New Year, Baby Fortune from Netgalley.

Teaser Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:"
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser this week is from Wolf in Shadow by John Lambshead.  I got this book at the World Science Fiction Convention in September and have been reading it a little at a time since then.  

Here is my teaser:

"Would you like to come out with me? asked the student.

"A tempting offer, but I'd better refuse" replied Rihian.  "My doctor says that I shouldn't go out with boys until he finds out what's causing the rash."   page 49.

Musing Monday, December 16, 2013

Musing Mondays is sponsored by Should Be Reading and asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
 • Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
 • What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
 • Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

How many of you just keep adding to your TBR pile.  I keep saying that I will not order any more books until I have read all from my previous order.  It just does not work for me.  My latest order arrived last Friday and I still had two books unread from my previous order.  Most of the books on any of my orders are pre-orders and are placed as much as a month ahead of release.  I still keep adding to the pile.  Part of the problem are the books I get for review.  I read them first and put of the others on hold.  I do think this is a minor problem in a world with some very big problems that need to be solved.

Sweet Revenge (Sin Brothers #2) by Rebecca Zanetti

Thriller

What Goodreads says:

"The One Man She Can't Have

Matt Dean was born to fight…and kill. A member of a secret black-ops military unit, he and his brothers were genetically engineered by the government to be the perfect soldiers with an expiration date. Now, with time running out, he's gone rogue in a relentless quest for the one person who can save them. His mission leads him to Charmed, Idaho…and to a beautiful woman with eyes like emeralds and a body made for pleasure.

The One Woman He Can't Resist

Laney Jacobs knows the mysterious, handsome stranger is trouble from the moment he walks into her bar, looking for a job. She's spent years running from her own past—the last thing she needs is a romantic entanglement. But Matt's strong arms offer her protection, and his gentle touch promises passion unlike anything she's ever known. As lethal forces surround them, revealing explosive secrets about Matt's past and putting everything—and everyone—he holds dear in danger, can he save them all before time runs out?"

Sweet Revenge is a true thriller with a touch of SciFi and a lot of romance.  Matt Dean, the main male character, and Laney Jacobs, the main female character, are running from the same organization and the same person.  Neither realizes who the other is at first.  When they get together there are sparks flying in every direction and danger is coming for both.  The book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time as the tension never let up.  If you like a thriller with a big dose of romance this is a good book for you. 

Sweet Revenge is the second book in the series so do not expect the find any solution to the danger Matt, Laney, and Matt’s brothers are facing.  There is a lot of action, some surprises, and characters who are not who they seem.  What does happen is that the tension is ramped up, a new romance is in the air and facts are discovered that set up the next book and the next brother’s story.  The main danger, the chip with an expiration date is still there.  There are four brothers and two books to go so don’t expect that problem to go away in the next book.

Forever released Sweet Revenge by Rebecca Zanette as an ebook in 2013. 

I received an ARC of Sweet Revenge from Netgalley.

Stacking the Shelves, December 14, 2013

Some of the Books Stacked on My Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I am adding to my shelves. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what others have on their shelves.

This was a week of contest wins for me.  I won a $50.00 Amazon gift card from The Fair Discloser Giveaway sponsored by Beck Valley Books.  

I also won the following books from Smart Girls Love SciFi:
A Knight’s Vengeance (Knight’s Series Book 1) by Catherine Kean
Hot Water by Maggie Toussaint
Brides of Falconfell by Blair Bancroft
Forgive and Forget (Book #1) by Heather Ashby

Book Order From Amazon:
The Apollo Academy (Volume 1) by Kimberly P. Chase
Dangerous Seduction: A Nemesis Unlimited Novel by Zoe Archer
Hell Bent: A Broken Magic Novel by Devon Monk
Vendetta: The Guild War (Volume 1) by Graham W. Sharp Paul
No Good Duke Goes Unpunished: The Third Rule of Scoundrels(Rules of Scoundrels) by Sarah MacLean
Alien Research by Gini Koch

Purchased and Free eBooks From Amazon:
Tangled Web, Poisoned Wed, Deception's Web  by Crista McHugh
Hunted and Pirates by Eric Martin Willen
Ivan by Roxie Rivera

For Review:
Moving Target by J.A. Jance
Healthy Joints For Life By Richard Diana
Ashes and Alchemy by Cindy Spencer Pape

Book Beginnings December 13, 2013

Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Gilion at Rose City Reader. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading.

My book beginning this week is from Fiction River, a new anthology series featuring volumes that appear every two month.  Each volume has a different theme or genre, and often has a different editor.  Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch are the overall series editors, approving the content. 

 I just received the December 13 edition titled Hex in the City featuring urban fantasy short stories.  My beginning is from the third story in the issue, Speechless in Seattle by Lisa Silverthorne.  This short story features a wizard whose spell goes a little wrong.  Here is the beginning:

"Thunder rumbled through the evening sky as storm clouds rolled off Elliot Bay where Brant Trenerry stood in Kerry Park staff raised, ready to change the world."

Check out the Fiction River web site to see the themes for upcoming issues.
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