LOL

Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lady Merritt Sterling and Keir MacRae should have nothing in common but they really product sparks when they meet. I loved the story and how many times it made me laugh out loud (something we all need right now). The secret in the story was often included Sebastian (one of my favorite characters from the first books in the series). It was good to see him still acting as he did at first. This is a must read for series fans and an easy one to read as a stand alone.

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Good Fun

Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cassandra and Tom are two very different people who should not be right of each other. Turns out that they really fit. It was fun to watch them connect and then break the connection. A fun romp with the usual romance, a chance to visit with the characters from previous books and just read for fun. Something we all need right now.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews #364 - Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas

Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Evie and Sebastian are two of my favorites so it is fun to see how their children turn out. Also fun to see how Evie and Sebastian relate to their children. Seems that Sebastian loves to meddle and he has found the perfect husband for his widowed daughter. Now to convince them or maybe to prospective bride groom is the one that needs to be convinced. I loved both Phoebe and West. It was fun watching Phoebe tangle with West. Seems that like her mother she has no trouble going after the wicked rake.

Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 212 - Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas, Lord of Temptation by Erica Ridley

Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Something is rotten in England and Ethan Ransom is following the trail to the traitors. Then the very lovely Dr. Garrett Gibson arrives on the scene and a wonderful night happens. That is not all. Garrett, who is the only female doctor in England, becomes a pawn to use agains Ethan. This uses the illegitimate son trope as part of the plot and it works very well. Now all the Ravenels are part of the story line as both legitimate and illegimate work together to save the day. Look for some very interesting disclosers that keep the romance in the story on track. A very good addition to the series.


Lord of Temptation by Erica Ridley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

On a personal note I did not like the cover on the book but did enjoy the story. Lord Hawkridge and Faith Digby have a past but not a very good one. Seems Hawk, at 18, cast her off with only a letter saying goodby 10 years ago. He felt he had good reason as he had just learned he was saddled with more debts than he could pay off in years. Now they have just crossed paths and the reunion has not been a happy one. Faith has a secret. That drives the story line. Both feel betrayed but both have at least one common goal. A nice addition to the Lords to Riches series.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

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Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 -March 3, 2017

I'm linking up with Rose City Reader for Book Beginnings and Freda's Voice for Page 56. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Pick the closest book on your book stack and join the fun.

The Beginning:

Lady Pandora Ravenel was bored.

Bored stiff.

Bored of being bored.

Page 56:

"Why are you encouraging this? Shouldn't you be a bit more discriminating when it comes to the potential mother of your grandchildren?"

From the latest book by Lisa Kleypas, Devil in Spring. I finished this one a few days ago and really enjoyed it. Kleypas writes great dialog that leaves the reading laughing while trying to continue reading.

Short and Sweet Book Reviews - #78 - Renegade;s Pride by B.J. Daniels, Wind River Cowboy by Lindsay McKenna, The Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas

Renegade's Pride by B.J. Daniels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Look for some spice in this story. While the story line is about a murder committed 9 years ago Daniels has added some very different spice in this series. It seems that Lillian's father thinks he was abducted by aliens years ago and that they are still coming around. Look for hints to why he thinks that. I liked how Lillian had fulfilled some of her dreams while Trask was gone and how Trask had matured before he came back to prove he was innocent. There is a side romance featuring Lillian's older brother that looks like it will be a long running issue as the series progresses. A nice start to a new series that is set once again in Montana.


Wind River Cowboy by Lindsay McKenna
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Garret was featured in the previous book. Like the other characters in the story he is ex-military and suffering from PTSD. He has found a place on Wind River Ranch. Now Kira a new vet has arrived and she was part of his black ops team. This is a nice story that uses the problems some of our returning vets are having as background for the story. A nice romance between Garret and Kira with some added problems. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. There is one problem that is outside the PTSD of the characters and it is adding to the tension in the story. It is keeping me wondering how that will be resolved.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.


Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent, does not want to get married and has gone to great pains to see that he stays single. ( If that title seems familiar you probably read The Devil in Winter where there was another Lord St. Vincent who did not want to get married. This is his son.) Lady Pandora Ravenel feels the same about marriage so of course they find themselves in a compromising situation which is really innocent but looks otherwise. A fun story with a lot of laugh out loud moments. It was nice seeing Gabriel's parents again along with the Ravenels. Look for an interesting hook when a side characters catches their attention. I was left wondering who he really was. A fun addition to the series.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews #28 – Thunderbird by Jack McDevitt, Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas, Death’s Bright Day by David Drake

Thunderbird (Ancient Shores #2) by Jack McDevitt

Science Fiction

It has been some time since I read Ancient Shores but it was very easy to get back up to speed in Thunderbird.  Now there is a RoundHouse with gates to other worlds.  Some people think it is really great and some want to bomb it into oblivion.  Since the gates are found on the Sioux reservation it belongs to the Sioux.  It is fun to see the worlds that can be reached from the gates and to follow the politics that are such a part of life and the future of the gates. (Hint:  They look a lot like today.)  Look for a fun ending with a hint of things to come.

Marrying Winterborne (The Ravenels #2) by Lisa Kleypas

Historical Romance

I love Lisa Kleypas’s stories and Marrying Winterborne keeps up her record of entertaining stories full of great characters.  We met  Rhys Winterborn and Lady Helen Ravenel in the first book of the series.  As that book closed Lady Helen left to fix her broken engagement to Rhys.  The story picks up form there.  Both Helen and Rhys are interesting characters who come from very different backgrounds.  As they work to stay together Helen learns a secret that threaten to tear them apart.  That adds great tension to the book.  Rhys and Helen have to work for their HEA..

Death’s Bright Day (Lt. Leary/ RCN #11)  by David Drake

Science Fiction

If you are like me and can’t get enough of Daniel and Adele you will love the latest addition to the series.  Once again there is tension, danger, interesting back-story and great world building.  The story starts at the party for Daniel and his new bride and ends up with a hook for the next book.  In between these two events Daniel and Adele have to go as private citizens to stop a civil war.  Another fun book in the series.

Stacking the Shelves - June 11, 2016

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I added to my shelves this week. 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 was gone for four months and have had trouble getting back into the routine of sharing books each week.  Maybe this will help get me back into the grove.

From the Library:

'Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick
The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon
The Red by Linda Nagata
The Trials by Linda Nagata
Night Shift by Charlaine Harris

Purchased:

Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas
Shadow and Flame by Gail Z. Martin
Admiral by Sean Danker

What Else I Read in August 2015

Books:

Second Chance Summer (Cedar Ridge #1) by Jill Shalvis – This is an interesting mix of characters and setting in a brand new series.  Cedar Ridge, Colorado is a resort town and the Kincaid Family Resort has been there for years.  Now they have a limited time to overcome the damage done by their Father and have the money for an balloon payment fro the loan he took out that is due in just a year.  The Kincaid’s are a very interesting blended family.  It seems that Dad was not only a bad business man but also had three families.  Now the children from all three families are living and working together.  This is Aidan Kincaid and Lily Danville’s story.  Both have secrets and it takes a book for them to work them out.  Great start to the series.

The Temptation of Dr. Colton (The Coltons of Oklahoma #3) by Karen Whiddon – The Coltons are an interesting family.  This time we meeet Dr. Eric Colton and MW (Mystery Woman).  There is the usual romance and like previous books the mystery woman has someone trying to kill her.  It is a fun read with a good plot.  The solution is pretty tame but it did fit the series.   This is a series written by different authors.  Each book can stand alone but there are elements that are present in every book.  I enjoyed reading about MW and Eric.

Brown-Eyed Girl (Travis Family #4) by Lisa Kleypas – It has been almost six years since the last Travis Family book so I had forgotten a lot about the previous books.  That did not matter as this on worked well as a stand-alone.  The story follows a familiar pattern.  A successful woman who has locked up her heart and a man who is determined to unlock it.  Throw in a secondary romance and a wedding that needs to be stopped and you have a very good story.  Kleypas always delivers and Brown-Eyed Girl is no exception.Eyed Gir(Travis Family #4) by Lisa Kleypas – It has been almost six years since the last Travis Family book so I had forgotten a lot about the previous books.  That did not matter as this on worked well as a stand-alone.  The story follows a familiar pattern.  A successful woman who has locked up her heart and a man who is determined to unlock it.  Throw in a secondary romance and a wedding that needs to be stopped and you have a very good story.  Kleypas always delivers and Brown-Eyed Girl is no exception.


Tracker (Foreigner #16) by C. J. Cherryh- Tracker is a set up for the next two books in the series.  We do get to see a lot more of Cajeiri as he and his friends from the ship become more important to the story line.  The Kyo are back but just as a plot point.  There should be more about them in the next book. 

This is book 16 in the series and the books are much better read in order.

Stacking The Shelves - July 18, 2015

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I added to my shelves this week. 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. 

Won:

Ruthless by John Rector

For Review:

Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas

From Amazon: 

When It’s Right: A Montana Men Novel by Jennifer Ryan

The Light Within Me: A Science Fiction/ Fantasy Romance by Carly Fall

Breath of Life (The Gaian Consortium Series #2) by Christine Pope

Musing Mondays July 1, 2013

Musing Mondays (http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/) 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 reading Crystal Cove (A Friday Harbor Novel) by Lisa Kleypas.  I have read all the Friday Harbor Novels and noticed a trend toward the paranormal when I read Rainshadow Road.  That became a full blown paranormal novel with Crystal Cove.  This is a new direction for Lisa Kleypas.  I don't remember her writing anything similar before.  I know paranormal seems to be the new hot romance genre. That got me wondering if authors are just jumping on the paranormal bandwagon on their own or if they are being pushed there by their publishers.  

Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

I like all of Kleypas's novels and Crystal Cove was not an exception.  It was a quick fun read with great characters and for anything to work between the two main characters there had to be a paranormal element.  I do think I liked the books better without the paranormal.

Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas

Contemporary Romance

From Goodreads: 

Dream Lake takes readers once again to the exquisite setting of Friday Harbor, and tells the story of Zoë Hoffman, an innkeeper who has all but given up on love. She’s a gentle, romantic soul, but has been so hurt in the past that she dare not trust her heart with anyone. Especially not Alex Nolan. Alex is the most haunted of all the Nolan brothers.

He drinks to keep his demons at bay and not only has he given up on love, he has never, ever believed in it. Zoë and Alex are oil and water, fire and ice, sunshine and shadow.

But sometimes, it takes only a glimmer of light to chase away the dark. Dream Lake is classic Lisa Kleypas: romantic, powerful, emotional, and magical.

What the description of Dream Lake does not mention is the ghost and the ghost is a very important character in Dream Lake. Lisa Kleypas uses the ghost to tell the backstory in the first chapter of the book. Although this is Alex and Zoe's story the ghost plays an interesting part in the story.

Even though Dream Lake runs in time parallel to Rainshadow Road you do not see much of the other two brothers in this book. Alex and Zoe were introduced in previous books and both have issues. On the surface they are not a good match. Zoe knows that Alex is nothing but trouble and Alex sees Zoe as someone who needs commitment, something he feels he is not capable of giving It's is the ghost that keep telling Alex he is missing a bet if he does not pursue Zoe.

Dream Lake does have an interesting journey to the HEA. In addition to all of the other problems that Alex and Zoe face Lisa Kleypas weaves the problems a family faces when someone is diagnosed with dementia. It is used as an effective plot device but offers a lot of information about the progression and how it affects the lives of friends and family. I found that element very well done.

I think Dream Lake does a very good job of continuing the Friday Harbor series. The addition of the ghost makes this a paranormal romance. There is a set up in Dream Lake for book four to have a paranormal romance element also. That adds a little more spice to the series. 

St. Martin’s Griffin published Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas in 2012.

Book Beginnings on Friday, May 25, 2012

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  include the title and author so others know what you're reading.



I just got the ARC of Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas from Amazon Vine this week.  This is book 3 set in Friday Harbor (from  the trilogy of the same name) and is Alex's story.  I started it late last night and so far so good.  Here is the beginning.

"The ghost had tried many time to leave the house, but it was impossible.  Whenever he approached the front threshold or leaned through a window he disappeared, the some of him dispersing like mist in the air."

The ghost is a new addition to the series and this makes me wonder what part he plays in Alex's story.   

Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas

Contemporary Romance

Rainshadow Road is the first in a new trilogy by Lisa Kleypas.  However an introduction to some of the characters is in Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor.  Even thought Rainshadow Road can stand-alone I recommend reading Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor first.  It will give you some background on several secondary characters in Rainshadow Road.

Lisa Kleypas really knows how to structure a story.  Before we even get to the romance we get to know the characters.  Lucy is a glass artist who has just found out she is being dumped by her boyfriend of two years.  Not only dumped but for dumped for her sister.  Lucy’s family has some very strong issues and those are explained and developed.  Sam Nolen has issues of his own and we know all about them before he and Lucy become involved.  Nothing is rushed.  Although Lucy meets Sam on the day of her breakup they do not meet again until several months have passed.  All of those factors make the story much more realistic. 

Lisa Kleypas also does a very good job of jumping from historical to contemporary in her writing.  This is her second series set in modern times and I think it is even better than her first.  The next two books are due out in August of 2012 and February of 2013. 

ST. Martin’s Griffin published Rainshadow Road by LIsa Kleypas in 2012.

I received an ARC of Rainshadow Road from Amazon Vine.

Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas

Historical Romance

Lisa Kleypas is on of my favorite historical romance authors and I have many of her books on my keeper shelf. Suddenly You is an older book that I did not have.

The novel is set in the 1830’s. Amanda Briars is a novelist and Jack Devlin is a publisher. Both characters are part of the working upper class. Amanda wants one night of passion for her thirtieth birthday. When Jack arrives at her house she mistakes him for the gift she has hired for herself. With the mistaken identity and the immediate attraction Suddenly You is a very sensual novel. This is one book where the sex is an important part of the story and I did not skim the sex scenes as I usually do. Jack and Amanda are both such strong characters that they have to have a very rocky journey. This was a very good addition to my Lisa Kleypas collection.

While many of the characters in Lisa’s books appear in numerous stories I don’t remember seeing Amanda or Jack in any pervious book.

Avon Books published Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas in 2001.

I purchased Suddenly You new from Amazon.

Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas

Romance

Tempt Me At Twilight is the latest book about the unique and unusual Hathaway family. Unlike the rest of her unconventional family Poppy Hathaway longs for a normal life but all of her plans fall apart when she meets Harry Rutledge. If you have been reading this series you will recognize his name. Harry Rutledge is mentioned in previous books as the reclusive owner of the Rutledge Hotel where the Hathaway’s stay when they are in London. Poppy meets Harry when her sister’s ferret Dodger steals a letter from Poppy’s current suitor. While chasing Dodger through the hotel Poppy stumbles into a secret passage that ends in Harry’s private trophy room. That one meeting changes both of their lives. Tempt Me At Twilight is a wonderful addition to the Hathaway saga. There are glimpses into the lives of all of the Hathaway’s as they deal with Harry and Poppy. It is great fun to meet old friends while setting the scene for the rest of the books in the series. Lisa Kleypas continues to write great stories that fulfill the desires of readers like me.

St. Martins Paperbacks published Tempt Me At Twilight by Lisa Kleypas in 2009.


While Tempt Me At Twilight is part of a series it can be read as a stand-alone.

The other books in the series are:

Mine Till Midnight
Seduce Me at Sunrise