Stacking the Shelves, June 22, 2013

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 other have on their shelves.

I tried to resist buying but was not entirely successful.  I did get several free books this week.

Purchased:

Twisted by Rebecca Zanetti        

Mindlink by Kat Cantrell

From Netgalley:

The Marriage Merger by Jennifer Probst

Stern by Brenda Jackson

Free From Amazon:

Maid for Love by Marie Force

Lady Bess by Caludy Conn

Free From Amazon Vine:

The Daylight War by Peter Brett

Free on Smashwords from Author participating in the SFR Brigade Mid-Summer Blog Hop:

Fey Lights by Liana Brooks- There is still time to enter the contests and pick up Fey Lights.  Just follow the link to my Friday Blog Post and visit the other bloggers who are participating in the Blog Hop.

Free from Author:

The Unmentionables by Karen Ranney

Science Fiction Romance Brigade Second Mid-Summer Blog Hop - My Favorite Aliens, the T'carais or Clutch Turtles

I love the Liaden Universe books by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. The first book in the series (Agent of Change) introduces the T'carais or Clutch Turtles.  Here is how Edger and the turtles are introduced:

"He was regal, as befitted a T'carais and a being more than nine hundred Standard Years old, though among his race he was known for his occasional hasty action.  On visas he was thus: Twelfth Shell Fifth Hatched Knife Clan of Middle River's Sparing Spawn of Farmer Greentrees of the Spear-makers Den, The Edger."

Edger is the brother of Van Con yos'Phelium and friend of Miri Robertson the two main character in Agent of Change.  Edger is also very large.

I have two copies of Agent of Change to give away.  If you would like to know more about Van Con, Miri and Edger fill in the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. I will choose two winners and notify you on June 26th if you are one of the winners.  This prize is for my blog only.

To be eligible for the prizes offered by the SFB Blog Hop you must fill in the other Rafflecopter giveaway form below.

Remember  -One Rafflecopter for Mixed Book Bag and other Rafflecopter form for Blog Hop prizes.  Visit the other Blogs participating to get additional changes to win.   What are the Blog Hop Prizes?

1st Prize - $150 Amazon or B&N gift card (winner's choice) and an
ebook bundle (currently Ghost in the Machine, Bayne, Recast Book 1:Wither, Recast Book 2:Clash, Alien Adoration, Switched, Reckless Rescue, Wreck of the Nebula Dream, Keir, Terms & Conditions Apply, The Key, Marya, The Iron Admiral, Sasha’s Calling, Trouble at the Hotel Baba Ghanoush, Winter in Paradise, Once Upon a Time in Space, the Telomere trilogy, Winter Fusion, Blue Nebula, Demential, Wytchfire, Maven, Fires of Justice, Interface, Girl under Glass, and Breakout. Bonus books – Ghost Planet, The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy andDeception, and Games of Command.)

2nd Prize - $50 Amazon or B&N gift card (winner's choice)

3rd Prizes - four $25 Amazon or B&N gift cards (given to separate
winners and their choice)





a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Woman Entangled (Blackshear Family #3) by Cecilia Grant

Historical Romance

From Goodreads:

"An ambitious beauty seeking a spot among the elite is thwarted by a most disruptive gentleman in Cecilia Grant’s witty, elegant, and exquisitely sensual novel.

Kate Westbrook has dreams far bigger than romance. Love won’t get her into London’s most consequential parties, nor prevent her sisters from being snubbed and looked down upon—all because their besotted father unadvisedly married an actress. But a noble husband for Kate would deliver a future most suited to the granddaughter of an earl. Armed with ingenuity, breathtaking beauty, and the help of an idle aunt with connections, Kate is poised to make her dreams come true. Unfortunately, a familiar face—albeit a maddeningly handsome one—appears bent on upsetting her scheme.

Implored by Kate’s worried father to fend off the rogues eager to exploit his daughter’s charms, Nick Blackshear has set aside the torch he’s carried for Kate in order to do right by his friend. Anyway, she made quite clear that his feelings were not returned—though policing her won’t abate Nick’s desire. Reckless passion leads to love’s awakening, but time is running out. Kate must see for herself that the charms of high society are nothing compared to the infinite sweet pleasures demanded by the heart."

A Woman Entangled tells the story of Nick Blackshear the brother of Martha from A Lady Awakened and Will of AGentleman Undone.  Both make an appearance in A Woman Entangled.  (Follow the links to read my reviews of the first two books.)

Nick is a barrister and he has lost many of his clients because of the scandal that surrounded his brother Will’s marriage.  The one place he is always welcome is at the Westbrook’s where scandal is an old friend.  Mrs. Westbrook was an actress before her marriage and the Mr. Westbrook’s family cut them out of their lives when they married.  The oldest daughter Kate wants to make them socially acceptable again and A barrister who has scandal in his family just will not do.

It was fun to watch Nick and Kate interact.  They have become friends and even though Nick is in love with Kate he does not let it show.  Kate thinks love should come at first sight and does not realize that it can grow from friendship.  Their journey is more low key than many romances.  Family and scandal play a big part in the story. 

A Woman Entangled has a different flavor from the previous two stories.  There was less tension and more emphasis on family and forgiveness.  It was an enjoyable read but for me not as gripping as the two previous books.  Even so the Blackshear series is one that I will keep reading.  I do like the fact that each book is different and each story matches the characters it features.  Once again Grant's characters and story are unlike other romance books set in this time period.  Grant's writing  continues to occupy a unique place in historical fiction.

Bantam published A Woman Entangled by Cecilia Grant in 2013.

I received an ARC of A Woman Entangled from Netgalley.

Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh

Paranormal Romance

From Goodreads:

"Step into New York Times bestseller Nalini Singh’s explosive and shockingly passionate Psy-Changeling world…

A dangerous, volatile rebel, hands stained blood red.

A woman whose very existence has been erased.

A love story so dark, it may shatter the world itself.

A deadly price that must be paid.

The day of reckoning is here.

From “the alpha author of paranormal romance” (Booklist) comes the most highly anticipated novel of her career—one that blurs the line between madness and genius, between subjugation and liberation, between the living and the dead."

I just finished Heart of Obsidian. I found it a difficult book to read and an even more difficult to review.  The story is very dark.  One of the characters is holding on to his control for most of the story.  There is danger, excitement, suspense, and romance.  The romance is the only thing holding the main character in check.  Love in this story truly saves.  There are a lot of lines crossed and the Psy have to change or disappear.  This is a excellent addition to the Psy-Changeling series.   I would not recommend this as a stand alone book.  Start at the beginning of the series for the most enjoyment.

Berkley Sensation published Heartof Obsidian by Nalini Singh in 2013.

Teaser Tuesdays, June 18, 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!

I haven't been here for a few months but plan to be back most weeks from now on.

My teaser is from Her Sky Cowboy by Beth Ciotta.  This is the first book in The Glorious Victorious Darcys.  Book two, His Clockwork Canary, came out this month.

"Stay," Tucker commanded. Next thing she knew he'd rounded the bed once again.  He took her hands, squeezed, "Look at me, darling."

"The endearment was inappropriate, although, at this moment, oddly comforting."  page 49.

Her Sky Cowboy is Steampunk with some time travel mixed in and is set in the Victorian Age.  Here is what Goodreads says:

"Amelia Darcy has no interest in marrying well. Her heart belongs to the sky and the dirigibles of brass and steel that swoop over Victorian England. But when her father, an eccentric inventor, dies, the Darcy siblings are left with scrap metal—and not a penny to their names. Their only hope to save the family reputation and fortune is to embark on a quest to discover an invention of historical importance in honor of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.

Armed with only her father's stories of a forgotten da Vinci workshop, a mechanically enhanced falcon, and an Italian cook, Amelia takes flight for Florence, Italy. But her quest is altered when her kitecycle crashes into the airship of ex-Air Marshal—and scandalous dime novel hero—Tucker Gentry.

Tuck agrees to escort Amelia to her destination, but the two are challenged by political unrest, a devious sky pirate, and their own sizzling attraction. Soon the pair is dragged into an international conspiracy that could change the course of history…again."

Musing Mondays, June 17, 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 finished two books from two different series this week.  The first was Can’t Stop Believing (A Harmony Novel) by Jodi Thomas.  The second was Agave Kiss (A Corine Solomon Novel) by Ann Aguirre.  The two are very different.

Can’t Stop Believing is a feel good novel about love and second chances.  Cord McDowell and Nevada Britain are the main characters in is novel but there are several other story lines that also come to a conclusion.  And as always there is the beginning of another secondary story line for a future story.  Look for two people who belong together and one HEA, a sad ending to one story line that has been in several books, and an all around feel good story. This is part of a series but each book can stand-alone.  I look forward to each book in the series and have yet to be disappointed

Agave Kiss is the last book in the Corine Solomon series. Unlike the Harmony books this series has not held up as well.  I finished the book because I have read all the previous books in the series.  This is not a stand-alone book.  You need to read each of the books in order.  I was a little disappointed in the book.  It tied up a lot of lose ends and there was a HEA for Corine and Chance.  It was a very busy books with a lot of story lines that came together.  I"m glad I finished the book but I have to admit I had to make myself continue several times before the end.

Stacking The Shelves June 15, 2013

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 other have on their shelves.

I resisted buying but I did get one book I had pre-ordered.  I didn't  resist going to the library where I collected one new book and one audio book. 

Library Book:

The Golden Egg by Donna Leon (a Commissario Guido Burnetti Mystery) 

Library Audio Book:

The Desert Spear by Peter  V. Brett

Pre-order from Amazon:

Can't Stop Believing  by Jodi Thomas

What the Duke Desires (The Duke’s Men #1) by Sabrina Jeffries

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Historical Romance

From Goodreads:

"Maximilian Cale, the Duke of Lyons, accepted long ago that his kidnapped brother was dead. When a cryptic note from investigator Tristan Bonnaud claims otherwise, Max seeks out Tristan’s sister, Lisette—and is infuriated to learn that Tristan has also mysteriously vanished. Have the siblings perpetrated an elaborate hoax? Or is the fiercely protective beauty as innocent as she claims them to be?
Fearful that the powerful Duke will destroy Tristan’s career in his zeal for the truth, the clever Lisette convinces Max to accompany her to Paris in a joint search for their loved ones. But their journey takes a seductive twist when they pose as an ordinary husband and wife—not an English Duke with a tarnished family name and the illegitimate daughter of a viscount—and discover an exhilarating passion free from the damning secrets of the past. With the line between danger and desire enticingly blurred, they discover that some mysteries, like those of the heart, are answered tenfold in the bliss of a true and trusting love."

What the Duke Desires is the first book in a new series and has a full cast of characters.   Lisette and Max are the main characters in What the Duke Desires.  Tristan is Lisette’s brother and Dom is Lisette’s half-brother and both play an important part in the story.  Victor is a cousin that Max discovers as the story unfolds.  He is Max’s only living relative.  Then there is George, another half-brother.  George is not a nice person and I suspect that he will show up in future books. I saw hooks for several more books in The Duke’s Men series.

This is a fast paced romance filled with tension and danger.  I was kept guessing until end.  The writing is great, the story is interesting and the characters are well developed.  What the Duke Desires is a great start to a new series. 

I received an ARC of What the Duke Desires from Edelweiss.  What the Duke Desires will be released on June 18^th.  Pre-order so you can start reading as soon as it comes out.

Pocket Books is the publisher of What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries.