Teaser Tuesday, October 7, 2014

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. 

The Teaser:

"That’s all there was, Commander, Lizzy said.  “And the date stamp on the message is seventy-five hours ago.”  24% on my Nook Galaxy Tab

The Book:

A Hero for the Empire (Dragon’s Bidding Series #1)  by Christina Westcott – I am reading it right now and the teaser is from where I quit to do this post.

Musing Monday's October 6, 2014

TC is in the sun musing about the chipmunk she sees out the window.
Hopefully that is all she does.  So far this month she has presented me
 with two chipmunks - one alive and one dead but both in my bedroom.

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 talk.

Are any Science Fiction Romance fans reading this?  If you are a SVR fan you need to check out the latest issue of the Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly.  Just click on the button on the right to get your free issue.  That’s right it is always free and it contains lots of good information about the SFR world.  It features reviews, the SFR books that were released during the last quarter, author interviews and articles relating to SFR.  If you are a fan you don’t want to miss any of the issues.

Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall

Science Fiction

From Goodreads:

The fact that someone had decided I would be safer on Mars, where you could still only SORT OF breathe the air and SORT OF not get sunburned to death, was a sign that the war with the aliens was not going fantastically well.

I’d been worried I was about to be told that my mother’s spacefighter had been shot down, so when I found out that I was being evacuated to Mars, I was pretty calm.

And despite everything that happened to me and my friends afterwards, I’d do it all again. because until you’ve been shot at, pursued by terrifying aliens, taught maths by a laser-shooting robot goldfish and tried to save the galaxy, I don’t think you can say that you’ve really lived.

If the same thing happens to you, this is my advice: ALWAYS CARRY DUCT TAPE.

The sentence where 12-year-old Alice is being sent to Mars because the ice is getting close to her school sets the tone for Mars Evacuees.  From that point on there is none stop action and adventure. Of course Alice and friends end up overcoming almost impossible odds while helping save two races.

I loved how active Alice and friends were in solving their problems.  It was kind of like MacGyver meets Mars and a lot of the fixes involved Duct Tape. There is also a new take on aliens taking over the Earth that adds more interest to the story.  

The character development, world building and plot keeps the story moving.   The writing moves the story line smoothly without any of those annoying breaks that stop a story  As I came to the end it looked like this was the start of a new series but it does come to a satisfying conclusion with the Epilogue. 

Mars Evacuees is a story that readers from pre-teens to adult will enjoy.

Harper Collins published Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall in 2014.

I received an ARC of Mars Evacuees from Edelweiss in return for a honest review.

Stacking the Shelves, Oct. 4, 2014

Books Stacked on My Shelves

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.

Just a few book on my shelf this week:

For Review:

A Christmas to Remember by Jill Shalvis, Kristen Ashley, Hope Ramsay, Molly Cannon and Marilyn Pappano

Deadly Pursuit by Nina Croft

The Christmas Wedding Ring by Susan Mallery

Purchased:

The Groom Says Yes by Cathy Maxwell

From the Library:  

Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs

Book Beginnings and The Friday 56, October 3, 2014

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:

"When the Polar ice advanced as far as Nottingham, my school was closed and I was evacuated to Mars."

Page 56 or 20% on my Kindle:

The Colonel rode over on his Beast. "Haah!' her said to the crew. "Looks like you nearly flew off with this one aboard!" Captain Mendez shuddered visibly at the thought."

From Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall.

Harlequin and Scridb Announcement and Giveaway

Harlequin has partnered with Scridb, a subscription reading service, to make available 15,000+ titles. Monthly subscribers to Scribd can now find titles from these Harlequin imprints: Harlequin Series Romance HQN Books MIRA Carina Press They will feature novels from best-selling authors including Debbie Macomber, Robyn Carr, Susan Wiggs, Heather Graham, Shannon Stacey, and many more!

Haven't heard of Scribd?  You can read unlimited books for 8.99 per month.

Enter Here to Win a Year's Subscription to Scridb
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Innocent Prey (Brown and de Luca #3) by Maggie Shayne

Mystery

From Goodreads:

To save innocent lives, they'll have to risk their own.

Self-help superstar Rachel de Luca and Detective Mason Brown have finally given in to their overwhelming attraction to each other, but neither of them is ready to let physical passion turn into full-blown romance, so they carefully maintain an emotional distance. Then a judge's daughter disappears, and Mason has a terrible sense that it's connected to the most recent case they solved together: the abduction of Rachel's assistant.

The discovery of a string of missing women—all young, all troubled—seems like a promising lead. But there's no clear connection between the missing girls and the high-profile young woman Mason is trying to find. He realizes that once again he'll have to rely on his own well-honed instincts and Rachel's uncanny capacity to see through people's lies in order to catch a predator and rescue his captives. But can they do it before Rachel becomes his next victim?

Brown and de Luca are off on a new mystery.  

This time the mystery has nothing to do with Brown’s brother and sister-in-law.   Instead young women are disappearing and they are asked to help.  The story highlights not only the mystery but also the evolving relationship between Mason Brown and Rachel de Luca.

The plot leaves plenty room for tension, danger and romance.  Rachel finds that her powers have not disappeared.  In fact she is NFP while helping solve the case.  (Read the book to see what NFP stands for).  She still is relationship shy even as she and Mason are together more and more.  Mason is almost as confused about their relationship as Rachel.  The two are one of the more entertaining couples in the mystery world and I am looking forward to the next book, Deadly Obsession due November 25, 2014.

Harlequin published Innocent Prey by Maggie Shayne in 2014.

I received an ARC of Innocent Prey from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

In the Void (Tales From the Edge #2) by Sheryl Nantus

Science Fiction Romance

From Goodreads:

Book two of Tales from the Edge

Catherine Rodgers doesn’t like Mercy ships, or the courtesans who work on them—not after her husband left her for a Mercy woman. But after her yacht gets blown up to prevent her from cracking the lid off a corporate scam that’s left hundreds dead and a few people very rich, the only ship around to save her is the Bonnie Belle.

Sean Harrison has worked as one of the Belle’s courtesans for years, bringing happiness to countless women along the space lanes. When he’s asked to care for Catherine while the Belle brings her to safety, it should be just another job.

Somehow it’s anything but. Sean is captivated by Catherine’s sense of justice and responsibility. And Catherine finds a softer, more emotionally intelligent man in Sean than she expected. Drawn together in darkness under the threat of death, they find the beginning of something lasting. But with pirates after the Belle and a price on Catherine’s head, that beginning might be all they get.

I loved In the Black, ( see review here) the first book in Tales from the Edge, and was really excited when I saw In the Void.  It immediately went to the top of my TBR pile.  I finished it last night and was not disappointed.

I love the Bonnie Belle and her crew.  Last time it was the captain, Sam and Daniel who got their unusual HEA.  This time it is Sean Harrison and it is something he never expected. 

Once again there is danger for the Belle.  Catherine Rodgers is a whistle blower and people are out to stop her at any cost.  When her ship is blown up the Belle is the only ship that can retrieve her escape pod.  That put the ship and crew right in the heart of the  danger.  Since Sean is the medic on the Belle he is assigned to help Catherine after the rescue.  Both romance, excitement, and danger take center stage from there.

I got to see more of Sam and Daniel as well as learn more about the other courtesans on the ship.  There was one new addition to the group.  There are still stories to be told in the series and I will be looking for the next book. 

Again I love the setting for this SFR series.  I think it is one of the most unique I have run across.  This series is a must read for any fan of SFR.  Pick it up and prepare to have a very enjoyable time reading.

Carina Press published In the Void by Sheryl Nantus. 

I received an ARC of In the Void from Netgalley in return for an honest review.