Book Review: Red (Transplanted Tales, #1) by Kate Serine

Title: Red (Transplanted Tales, #1)
Author: Katie SeRine
Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Publication Date: August 2, 2012

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

From Goodreads:

“My name is Tess Little. But everyone calls me Red.”

Once upon a time, a spell went awry, stranding Make Believe characters in the ordinary world. Since then, Tess “Red” Little—a/k/a Little Red Riding Hood—has worked as an Enforcer for the Chicago branch of the Fairytale Management Authority. But, consider yourself warned—she’s not just some waif with a basket of goodies. All grown up and with nothing to lose, a gun and combat boots is more her style. And Red’s new assignment threatens to be short on happily ever afters…

Someone is murdering transplanted Tales in gruesome fashion. The list of fictional characters capable of such grisly acts is short and includes more than one of Red’s old flames. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s another complication, in the form of sexy, enigmatic Nate Grimm, the FMA’s lead detective and part-time Reaper. Used to following her own rules and living life on the edge, Red has managed to avoid taking on a partner until now. But Nate’s dark side makes him perfect for a case like this. That is, if she can trust him. Because if there’s one thing Red knows for sure, it’s that believing in the wrong person can have big, bad consequences…


My Thoughts:

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I freaking loved this book. I'd heard this book was more UF than PNR and that the romance aspect was "lite". So I kept putting it off. Well, after reading, I just have to say that I'm clearly an idiot.

The main characters weren't all about ripping off each other's clothes (though you knew they both wanted to!) but holy moly this author can build sexual tension like nobody's business. And the story itself-the Tales being tranplanted to the Here and Now and what happened to all our favorite fairy tale and literary characters was superb. I nearly choked when I found out what Snow does in the Here and Now. And Nicky?! Loved that turn but I will say, what happened in Red, I balled my eyes out. That was absolutely heart-breaking. And Juliet (though, I wonder what happened to Romeo!?!). And we can;t forget about the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella and her Prince Charming (Oh, what a jerk!) and the fairy godmother.

I can't wait to read the next installment of this series and find out about Lavender and Seth. My heart broke for both of them in the first book and I was seriously conflicted about who Seth should end up with. But Nate, well Nate was loyal, true and just awesome. Even if he is a Reaper. I loved their connection and when I found out the "true" story of Red and how she was cast out of her village I was really hoping that her savior was who he turned out to be. I think I even heaved a great big, satisfied sigh when it was confirmed.

Thank you to the author, Kate SeRine, for restoring my faith in Urban Fantasy and proving that UF can rock your world with a kick butt heroine who isn't afraid to be vulnerable AND have a smoking hot romance (and romantic tension) between the main characters.

To purchase this book or for more information, check out the links at:

or: Barnes & Noble / Goodreads 

*This book was a self-purchase. All opinions are my own*

The Sunday Post [4]: The Week In Review & A ROW80 Update

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. From Kimba's website, "this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies."

Look to the right of your screen. Do you see anything different?! You should. I finally found the Allegiant countdown widget that I'd been seeing and, the nerd in me, had to get it for the blog. You can get it HERE. Just click the html option and the code will pop up for you. I'm so happy I finally tracked it down. I just want to stare at it and will the release date to be sooner. *sighs* I need more Four.

Anyways, back to the task at hand which is a run down of the past week on the blog. My house-guests left Friday night and I can't say that I was sad to see them go. Thankfully I have about five more months until the next wave of guests stay at my house and that should be enough time for me to recover. All in all, it was a hectic week and honestly I didn't get much done in terms of writing though I did get quite a few reviews written and some reading in.

Books Read/Reviewed Last Week:

ARC Review: Lions, Tigers and Sexy Bears Oh My! by Candace Havens

ARC Review: The Silver Chain by Primula Bond

ARC Review: Luck of the Dragon by Susannah Scott

And on Goodreads, I did quick reviews of A Highlander's Touch by Karen Marie Moning,  His Risk To Take by Tessa Bailey and Charade by Nyrae Dawn.

(Note: I didn't read all of these books this week. Even I can't read that fast! LOL I'm just really behind on reviewing books.)

What I'm Currently Reading:

At the moment I don't have any books that I'm in the middle of. Big surprise, I know. But with my house-guests around I used last week to finish a bunch of books and book reviews instead of starting anything new.  This week I plan to start Facade, Red and Elite. (Not necessarily in that order though!)  

Stacking The Shelves:

It was another busy week in terms of book sales, deals and galleys that I just had to get. I also made a stop at the library so I took a couple books out there too. To see this week's book haul check out my Stacking the Shelves post.

ROW80

ROW80 is the writing challenge, that, as the founder Kait Nolan puts it, "knows you have a life." You can check out the details HERE.  I check in every Sunday (or try to!) to update my progress on my goals for this Round. So, here we go:

Write every day: I am so behind in writing and especially in Camp NaNo. At this point I don't have any hope of meeting my goal at the end of the month. This makes me sad but at the same time I would rather not rush the words. I won the challenge in April so I don't feel like a complete failure at least. And there is always November. *looks at glass half full*
Blog a minimum of one book review per week, here and/or on Goodreads: Check out my links above. :)
Blog once per week on something that isn't a book review or ROW80 update: I also completed this weekly goal. Once again it's my Stacking the Shelves post (see above). One of these weeks I won't get any new books and this will be a different post but until I can rein that in, well, it's Stacking the Shelves.
Post my Sunday ROW80 Update: Done!
Work on WiP Worksheets: This continues to be a work in progress

Next week the goals will remain the same. I finished reading/commenting on my CPs chapters so I will hopefully be sending that back today. (This was stalled while I was entertaining this week!) I'm also going to try and get some more words down. I need to reset my writing and really buckle down this week.

Lastly, and on a completely unrelated note, I've been trying to get through the shows I have recorded on my DVR. I've finally caught up on the Rizzoli and Isles episodes I hadn't watched (as in, all of them since I haven't been watching this season), now I just have to catch up on Once Upon A Time and Rookie Blue (I love Sam. I really want him and Andy together and this is why I've put off watching so far. If they don't sort their sh*t and get together for good, I'm going to pissed!) Also, Shark Week starts in the beginning of August! Even though it scares the crap out of me (and makes me glad I live in the center of New York state), I'll be watching.

How was your week? Did you take in any good books this week? And for those who are doing ROW80 and/or Camp NaNo, how're you doing with your goals? Do you tune in to Shark Week or have you watched any good shows of late? Sound off in the comments!

Stacking The Shelves [4]

This meme was started by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  The link is to the official launch page that explains what Stacking the Shelves is all about and where to sign up.  Basically, it's a weekly meme where you post what you've bought, borrowed, and/or read, throughout the week. To quote Tynga, "you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!"

Another week is just about done so that means it's time for another Stacking The Shelves post. I'm not even going to try and say I've been "better" about buying books cause clearly, I haven't. But I do try to get most of the books I buy when they are on sale since, ya know, money doesn't grow on trees. And in doing so, I've once again managed to stay well within my book buying budget.  (Note: clicking on the images below should take you to the books Goodreads page, unless otherwise noted.)

Bought:

A bunch of the Entangled Brazen titles were on sale for 99 cents and these had been on one of my Goodreads TBR shelves for awhile now. The only one that wasn't 99 pennies was His Risk To Take. That was 1.99. 

Seven Nights In A Rogue's Bed by Anna Campbell was also on sale and I love a good histroical romance so I picked this up for 1.99.


I have the first in this series, Red, and the third, Along Came A Spider, I received as a galley (see below). So I will hopefully be getting to finishing this series soon.




I got these boxed sets for 99 cents each. Each one has about 5 novels in them and for that price it's worth it, Some of the titles are older romances (from the 90s and 00s) but some are more recent. Again, at 99 cents that beats the prices I could get them at the library's used booksale for. (Note: the image will take you to Barnes & Noble, not Goodreads)



Sold to the Sheikh was recommended to me and had been on my TBR for awhile. So when it went on sale for 99 cents i figured what the heck! 
I bought the first in this series, Sultry With A Twist, awhile ago for 99 cents so when the second when on sale for 99 cents as well, I snapped it up.  

For Review:

From the Library:

I've seen both readers and reviewers talk about these books and recommend them so when I saw them at the library I checked them out. I have a month to read them which should be plenty of time.

Freebies:

I am trying to be more discerning about what freebies I pick up because I have so many books to read that I really need to slow down.  So what did you pick up this week? Any good sales going on that I missed or new releases that you purchased? Let me know in the comments!

ARC Review: Luck of the Dragon by Susannah Scott

Title: Luck of the Dragon
Author: Susannah Scott
Publisher: Entangled Covet
Publication Date: June 24, 2013

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

From Goodreads:

Luciana de Luca has a PhD in sass and gemology—and a problem. Her twin brother’s gambling debts have gotten out of hand, and a mob enforcer is blackmailing her to rob the latest, greatest mega-casino on the Strip. Although Lucy has worked her whole life to get away from her family’s grifter past, to save her brother, she dons three-inch heels and a sluts-r-us dress and struts into Alec’s Gerald’s casino, determined to put her long-forgotten thieving ways to the test again.

Alec Gerald, a shape-shifting dragon, has built the Crown Jewel casino to provide sanctuary for his people amongst the flash and awe of Las Vegas. Unfortunately, the sexy little thief trying to steal his largest diamond exhibit turns out to be his mate, and he must woo her before he loses his dragon form forever. But before he can handcuff her to his bed and explain the details of a mating ceremony, an enemy attacks and threatens to destroy his casino, his people, and his newfound mate.

My Thoughts:

Let me start out by saying that this is the first book I think I've ever read with a dragon shifter. And after reading this, I want to read more of them. So after the last shifter book I read and reviewed (Lions, Tigers and Sexy Bears Oh My!) I not only want more bear shifters to read about, but more dragon ones too. *shakes head* I know, I have issues.

Moving on.

The world that the author built here and presents to the reader is intriguing. It revolves around the lore of the dragons and how they came to be, in this book, living in Las Vegas. The backstory and information we're given is well put together and interesting. I wasn't jarred out of the story by info dumps either. It was just enough to give the reader the information that was needed to understand the plot while also leaving me with a feeling that I want to know more, learn more, about this world. (So yeah, you can guess I am hoping for more in this series, maybe about the rest of the dragons we were introduced to, because there was some awesome story potential there!)

The characters themselves, well, let's talk about them. Alec was awesome. He was the leader of the dragons and knows, shortly after meeting Lucy, that she is his mate. Alec wants her and he wants her to come to grips with the fact that he is a dragon.

Well, easier said than done. I mean, come on. What modern girl is just going to be all "oh yeah, you're a dragon? That's cool. Let's mate and have dragon shifter babies or whatever they would be called."  Of course she needs time. That's understandable and so I totally agree with her hesitation, to a point.

What wasn't understandable for me was Lucy's continued actions after she finds out about Alec and the depth of his feelings for her. In her blind need to protect her idiot brother (and yes, I said idiot. I'm not being harsh enough in fact because he was that much of an arse) she betrayed Alec. Even if she couldn't be okay with the dragon thing, which give a girl a break not many would be able to handle that, she still should not have done what she did.

And what ticked me off the most was that Alec forgave her. Well wait, that's not accurate. I'm fine that he forgave her because I wanted them to have an HEA. But it was the way it came out, the execution of it, that bothered me. One  minute Alec was royally pissed off, and the next he seemed fine and able to trust her again. It all happened so quickly it left me kind of shocked. I had to actually go back and re-read that part to see if there were pages missing. I mean, really?! Lucy did that and he, in a matter of hours, is all, "oh that's okay honey, I trust you with my secret dragon secrets and we can be mates now. You're totally trustworthy." Um, hello?! Excuse me?! Are you serious? Do you, Alec, not remember what she did?!

I mean, seriously. After reading all that and closing in on the resolution, Alec's sudden turn around just did not seem to jive with who Alec had been made out to be throughout the story. I wanted to see Lucy work for his trust, do something to earn it and redeem herself for what she did. I also wanted to see her finally tell her brother (the stupid, jerk who got her into the mess to begin with) to take a hike but instead she was all cool with what had happened. Or seemed to be. This was another moment where my eyes almost bugged out of my head. The whole resolution just made the story fall a bit flat, sadly. And this sucked, cause I was liking it, a lot, up to that point.

Honestly, I think this book would have benefited from being longer in order to accomplish a resolution that worked better and fit with the character development. Yet, and even in spite of my issues with the book, I didn't dislike it. As I said, I like it, it just left me a bit unsatisfied in the end. And it won't stop me from hoping for more books about the dragons or reading future books by this author.

Here are the purchase and info links for the book: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

What about you? Have you read any dragon shifter books I should add to my TBR? Did you read Luck of the Dragon? What did you think? Sound off in the comments below!

*I received this ARC from the publisher, Entangled Covet, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

ARC Review: The Silver Chain (The Unbreakable Trilogy, #1) by Primula Bond

Title: The Silver Chain
Author: Primula Bond
Publication: Mischief
Publication Date: July 4, 2013

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

From Goodreads:

Bound by passion, she was powerless to resist.

One dark evening in London, photographer Serena Folkes is indulging her impulsive side with a night-time shoot. But someone is watching her – mysterious entrepreneur Gustav Levi. Serena doesn’t know it yet, but this handsome stranger will change her life forever…

Serena is fascinated by Gustav, the enigmatic owner of the Levi Gallery, and she soon feels an irresistible pull of attraction. The interest is mutual, and Gustav promises to launch Serena’s photographic career at his gallery, but only if Serena agrees to become his exclusive companion.

To mark their agreement, Gustav gives Serena a bracelet to wear at all times. Attached to it is a silver chain of which he is the keeper. With the chain Gustav controls Serena physically and symbolically – a sign that she is under his power.

As their passionate relationship intensifies, Gustav’s hold on the silver chain grows stronger. But will Gustav’s dark past tear them apart?

A seductive and beautifully written novel for erotic romance fans. The Silver Chain is the first in the sexy, passionate and addictive Unbreakable Trilogy by Primula Bond.

My Thoughts:  

Oh, where do I start with this book. I was really conflicted the entire time I read it-going from loving it to having to put it aside for a breather over several days. Usually I can main line a book in a day. With this one, no way. My brain might have exploded.

So first, let me begin with the good.

I loved the characters; I loved the set-up, and loved the symbolism of the silver chain. The silver chain and how the two characters used it, and eventually relied on it in a way, to show their connection was beautiful. As was the simple way Gustav would hook it to Serena's bracelet.  I also was impressed by the prose. The author really does have a way with words and from the first page I can see that this author is a real talent.

What about the main character, Gustav. Holy heck that man was swoon-worthy from the first time he steps onto the scene! I also enjoyed the British slang. For some it might be a bit difficult to cut through, but for me, who loves all things British (especially the accents!) I loved hearing the authenticity it brought to the heroine's voice. I felt the heroine was great too. She was enthralled, obsessed, attracted to, and intimidated by the hero but yet she still had her own personality and you could see it throughout the book.

So, what didn't I like?

There was too much of the main character inside her head. Like I mentioned, I loved the prose. This author's writing is something that I don't see very often so that in and of itself is impressive. I loved the intensity and realism she brought to the descriptions of the setting, clothing, scenery, people, etc. However at times (and sadly there were a bit too many of them throughout this book) I felt like I was drowning in the words, and not in a good way. And the constant internal dialogue, the heroine's constant inner thoughts and struggles, distracted from the story itself. It came to a point where the narrative seemed to be lost and because of this I ended up skimming large chunks of pages. This internal dialogue of the main character could have, and should have, been cut down to allow for more interaction and dialogue between Serena and the other characters.

And last, there is a cliffhanger. I really do not like cliffhangers. This one however was not all that bad so I can't say that I disliked the ending completely. In fact, it really didn't bother or leave me with a feeling "son of a *itch now I have to wait a gazillion months for the next in the series!"  I am so incredibly thankful for that. Also, the big reveal wasn't much of a big reveal for me. I figured out almost immediately (and very early on) what the twist was and instead of guessing I just kept waiting for that particular shoe to drop.  This ending felt more like the end of a TV episode. This is much better than an ending where the reader is left wondering about the state of the relationship. Sure, there are likely to be some angsty times ahead-it's a trilogy after all. But it seems to be angst that I will be able to live with. I'm not sure when the second book comes out but I will be reading it to see how things turn out between Gustav and Serena.

Here are the purchase links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

*I received this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

ARC Review: Lions, Tigers and Sexy Bears Oh My! by Candace Havens

Title: Lions, Tigers, and Sexy Bears Oh My!
Author: Candace Havens
Publisher: Entangled Covet
Publication Date: July 22, 2013

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars

From Goodreads:

A Montana town where no one is who they seem....  Everything about runaway heiress Ainsley McLeon screamed trouble—from her luscious midnight locks to her Louboutin-clad toes.  Yet sexy, stoic bar owner Luc couldn’t deny the instant connection he felt to the tempting stranger…or the long-dead feelings she evoked.  She could work in his pub until her truck was fixed but after that she had to leave town for good.  Ainsley traveled with her own emotional baggage and there was no way she'd fall for the bear-tempered Luc...no matter how many passionate nights she spent in his bed or how safe she felt in his muscular arms. Can these two opposites find love in the middle of a blizzard, or will Luc's darker side and Ainsley's past catch up with them?

My Thoughts:

After reading this book I'm left with the overwhelming urge to read more books about hot, alpha bear shifters. Actually, hot, alpha bear shifters who are not only hot, but are also strong, protective, growly and, oh yeah, hot. Is that too much to ask? If it is then I guess this book will be getting a lot of re-reads because at this point I just can't get enough of Luc.

Before I get into the meat of this review let me first say that Shifter books tend to be hit or miss for me. Either the author hits it out of the park or it ends up feeling like a romance with people who can shift. I'm happy to say that with this book the author nailed it and though it might not be a home run, it's at least a triple!

We first meet Ainsley as she's driving through a blizzard. She crashes her vehicle when she spots a tiger, yes a tiger, and she's pretty certain she's going to freeze to death or be tiger food. Thankfully for purposes of the story, this doesn't happen. Instead, this encounter puts her in the path of Luc, the sexy, brooding, grumpy, alpha who's a bear shifter. Yes, I said a bear.

And despite there only being only 164 pages to this story Ms. Havens packs the book with both emotion and sexy times that burn up the pages. Though it did get a bit annoying that Ainsley was pretty perfect in every way and in everything she did (or seemed to be for a good portion of the book), I still liked her. (Except for one portion which I will refer you to later in the review.)  The plot was good for a book of this length and even though the romance happened quickly, this is almost always the case when it comes to shifter books so I didn't mind a bit.

Besides, how could you not fall head over heels with one look at a tall, dark, handsome, grumpy bear of a man?! *wink*

The book also had it's humorous moments. When Ainsley gave the troublemakers at the bar a talking to (and a bit more!) for being obnoxious, she cracked me up. As did Luc's reaction. Here was Ainsley, a woman who was born and bred in Beverly Hills, working in a dive bar and telling a bunch of shifters to behave. It wasn't cheesy or out of place either. With Ainsley's character and who she was, it totally fit.

Most of the suspense part of the story takes place off screen. We hear about it but we don't get much with guns a-blazing. This is good since it's not an overly long book and so the focus is on Ainsley and Luc instead. The biggest problem I did have with the story was when Luc and Ainsley made things a bit overly complicated. Or rather, Ainsley did.  As is often the case in these kinds of books, miscommunication occurs and the happy couple is not so happy for a time. I was not happy at all with how Ainsley handled things. Sure Luc freaked out. This is normal. Hell, anyone would have that kind of reaction but with what Luc went through how he reacted was totally acceptable.  And he tried to apologize. Repeatedly. But instead of understanding this Ainsley played games and one point seemed to be testing Luc. When this happened, I was seriously pissed off at her. I think given the field I work in I am especially sensitive to this situation  (and I know I'm being vague about what happened between the main characters but I don't want to give it away!) so maybe this is why I had the negative reaction I did. Maybe others won't be bothered it. But it just is not a trope I'm found of.  So I was eternally grateful that it didn't last that long and was resolved without too much delay.

The only issue in terms of editing/narration I had were that, at one point I thought the setting was in Montana. But then they mention going to Upstate New York and then back home in a day. I re-read those parts a few times, thinking I got it wrong, and I'm still not sure. Maybe my eyes were tired at the time or I totally read it wrong. Whatever the case, it doesn't really matter in the end and it didn't distract too much from the overall story. It was the events that took place during this time -not the specific location- that was important.

Oh, and there is an epilogue. I loved it. I'm not sure if this book will be part of a series or not but I am kind of hoping it is. I really liked the world the author built and of course Ian needs to find his mate!

And now, after reading this book, I'm on a shifter kick. I need to find some more PNR-shifter books like this-a well written, tight plot. careful world building and interesting, fun and sexy characters.  Have any suggestions? Let me know in the comments!

*I received this ARC from the publisher, Entangled Covet, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

The Sunday Post [3]: My Week of Reading, Reviewing & Writing

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. From Kimba's website, "this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies."

I don't have a lot of time to myself today so I want to take advantage of the little I do have and get some much needed writing in. So I am going to jump right in here with what's been happening on the blog this week and with my writing.

Books Reviewed Last Week:

The Story Guy by Mary Ann Rivers

Causing Havoc (SBC Fighters, #1) by Lori Foster

Fringe Benefits by Christine Pope

What's Coming Up On The Blog:

I've already read the books I need to review for this week: Lions, Tigers, & Sexy Bears Oh My!, A Lady By Midnight (Spindle Cove, #3) and The Silver Chain. One is completed and I hope to get the other two written today so I am not rushing around this week. *keeps fingers crossed I can accomplish this.*

What I'm Reading:

I've read quite a few of books this past week and this week is another busy week of reviews and galleys to read. The next book(s) up are Charade by Nyrae Dawn (so I can get to the galley copy of book 2, which is Facade.) and also Luck of the Dragon by Susannah Scott. For fun, I'm reading the third book in Karen Marie Moning's Highlander Series, The Highlander's Touch. As usual, I'm loving it and can't wait to continue with this series.

Stacking The Shelves:

It's been another busy week in terms of what books I took in this week. To see what I bought and found free on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, click here.

ROW80:

Write/Revise 7 hours per week: Definitely hit this goal this week. I'm behind in my Camp NaNo count but that's because I haven't been able to write since Wednesday or so. My house guests are stymieing my progress but I am hoping I can make a significant dent today.
Blog a minimum of one book review per week, here and/or on Goodreads: Done times three! See the links above to go to the reviews themselves.
Blog once per week on something that isn't a book review or ROW80 update: Done! Once again, this ended up being the Stacking the Shelves post. I really love that meme and seeing what others have bought, borrowed, found on sale or free, or received for review. I've found so many new authors and books in the 3 weeks I've been doing it.
Post my Sunday ROW80 Update: Done!
Organize my WiP Plan via Excel: I've made progress! But not in the way I thought. Lena told me in the comments section of last Sunday's post some worksheets from Jami Gold to help me with this and I love them! They are brilliant! So what I'm doing is creating a form for each WIP and then will be able to track my progress that way.

Next week the only changes I'm making is that I will shoot for writing every day and that instead of organizing my WiP via Excel I will continue to complete the Story worksheets. The daily writing on my WiPs will be hard since I have company all week but that almost makes me want to do it even more. I can use that time as "me-time". This introvert is on serious sensory overload and I definitely need some of that!

Around the Web:

The 25 Most Awkward Cat Sleeping Positions Ever: Having a cat, I've witnessed many of these and often thought "WTF? How is that even comfy?!" So this made me laugh hard. I love the warning before the article too.

One of my favorite bands in the 90s was Del Amitri. I loved them and on Wednesday their song "Always the Last to Know" was in my head. Mainly because I have the Uninvited staying with me and it seems every two seconds I find out something that apparently I was the last to know. *scowls* Anyways, that song got be thinking about another one of their songs, "Be My Downfall". I forgot how much I loved it back in the day. For your listening pleasure, you can check it out on YouTube or search it on spotify. It is absolutely worth the 10 seconds it takes to search it. Well it is if you loved music from the 90s and need a reminder of all it's awesomeness.

So how'd you guys do this week? Have you bought or read any new books lately? For those working towards your ROW80 and Camp NaNo goals have you made progress or did you hit a wall? Let me know in the comments and I hope you have a great week!

Stacking The Shelves [3]

This meme was started by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  The link is to the official launch page that explains what Stacking the Shelves is all about and where to sign up.  Basically, it's a weekly meme where you post what you've bought, borrowed, and/or read, throughout the week. To quote Tynga, "you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!"

I had every intention of not buying a single darn book this week. I failed. I totally freaking failed. but I can't help it! They were on sale!!! *sighs*

This is what I keep saying to myself to rationalize by book buying addiction this week. But in truth I think it had more to do with the craziness of my life and my need to escape into books, or 12 gazillion of them. In preparation for the Uninvited house guests who arrived this week, I started to hoard books, or at least, more so than usual. It seemed to be a sort of emotional response and once I saw some sales and such, I just couldn't stop. I did stay within my budget though, so that's a plus! (Note: Most of the covers are clickable links (unless I missed a link somewhere!); If they are, the links will send you to the books Goodreads page.)

BOUGHT:

The Story Guy by Mary Ann Rivers: this was 99 cents at the time I purchased it. If you have not read this yet, I highly, as in HIGHLY, recommend it. This is probably the best book I've read this year, or at the very least in my top five. Fan-freaking-tastic.  

Uh, hello abs of steel. Nice to see you too! *rips eyes off of the cover* I tried to resist this one. I did! But others in one of the GR gourps I'm in kept raving about it. So I caved. I have no will power. None at all. 

I bought this and finished it already. I love books about MCs. Sons of Anarchy is my fave show after all. 

This was on sale for 99 pennies. I wasn't going to get it, but 99 pennies for a full length book?! How can I say no?

This compilation has 7 authors in in and 7 different novels. I had two of these books already (the ones by Olivia Cunning) but at 99 cents, that's fine. I still get 5 complete novels I haven't read for 99 pennies. Great deal!

Entangled Publishing's Indulgence line had a huge sale on Amazon with all their books offered at 99 cents. BN seemed to be matching the price so I couldn't stop myself (and thank goodness for Barnes & Noble gift cards from my bday! LOL) I know, I have a problem. *cries*

FOR REVIEW:

I think I've got enough on my plate in terms of review books at the moment so I'm holding off accepting any more for the week. I need to get books read and reviewed that I have before I start anything new. 

FREEBIES:

I only nabbed a few of these this week via Amazon and BN, because 6 is "a few" right?! Anyways, I think this is all I took in freebie-wise. With the Uninvited house guests currently invading my home and constantly up in my space I've had a tough time keeping track of things. Is it the 27th yet?

So next week, next week I won't buy anymore books. I won't. I swear. Okay, well maybe I won't swear on it. I'll try not to buy anymore. How's that? Cause if there's a sale, and I see a good deal...well I can't let that pass me by, right?! 

So what's in your book haul this week? Did I miss any good sales or deals out there? Let me know how you did in the comments! 

Review: Causing Havoc (SBC Fighters, #1) by Lori Foster

Title: Causing Havoc (SBC Fighters, #1)
Author: Lori Foster
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: February 6, 2007

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

From Goodreads:

Orphaned and torn from his sisters as a boy, sexy extreme wrestler Dean "Havoc" Conor gets a letter revealing how much his siblings want him back in Harmony, Kentucky. To stop his sister from marrying a sleazeball, Dean finds himself teaming up with her pretty-but-smart-mouthed friend Eve-who's heard of Havoc's reputation and doesn't need some hunk trampling on her heart. Now all Dean has to do is protect his sisters, win Eve over, and expose a devious criminal. And he thought winning the heavyweight belt was hard.

My Thoughts:

This book absolutely blew me away. I know. I tend to gush and gush and gush about my favorite books. And this one is certainly added to that list.

It had been on one of my TBR lists for awhile now. But I wasn't sure if I'd like it so I kept hesitating. Then I found a copy at the local library and thought "Hey! I can read the first in the series and see if I like it first!". Brilliant thought. I know. LOL

So that's what I did and I am so glad.

The story is about Dean "Havoc" Conor and reconnecting with his sisters. The back story regarding Dean and his family is heartbreaking. The fact these siblings were separated was a tragedy and what they each went through and how they dealt with their reunion seemed as realistic as a fiction novel could get. Dean fought his brotherly feelings, his anger sometimes clouding his judgement as he struggled with his new emotions. He also had to protect himself. Or so he thought.

One of the best parts of the books though was Gregor. Although he was a fellow fighter and wanted a match with Dean, he was also his friend. And he was also funny, strong, protective and fell hard for a certain woman in the book. Their courtship was cute, as was Dean's reaction to it. I'm not going to reveal who Gregor's love interest is, you'll have to read it to find out. But it was nicely done and didn't feel out of place with the rest of the story.

Okay, now on to the main characters-Dean and Eve. These two met and there was a definite spark between them. They didn't even know who the other was (Eve was Cam -one of Dean's sister's- best friend) but they knew they wanted each other. And wanted each other badly. When the connection is made, although there is a bit of hesitation from Eve, Dean is very convincing and the two explore their relationship. So many romances have the main characters waffling back and forth, pushing and pulling at each other. This wasn't the case in Causing Havoc and this was refreshing.  And the intimate scenes between Eve and Dean? Well, let's just say that Lori Foster can write a sex scene that can burn up the pages with it's intensity.

The plot itself, involving some mysterious things that start to happen when Dean arrives in town and reunites with his sister, isn't something that was difficult to figure out. By the time I was at the half way mark I was able to narrow the baddie down to two people. I will say that I was leaning towards the wrong person by the end, but I didn't mind this. I liked the surprise. The only real issue I had with this book was with Cam's wanna be fiance. He really annoyed me and of all the characters, I felt he was very cartoon-like. Whenever he had dialogue all I could think about was the guy from Popeye who was always trying to get his girl. Ya know who I'm talking about-that Bluto guy. Because of this, I was very surprised by the ending and how things worked out with Cam and Roger.(Again, I won't say what that ending was so as to not spoil it. You'll just have to read it to find out!)

Here are some of the purchase/informational links for the book: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

So, have you read CAUSING HAVOC? What did you think? Is this a book you think pick up? Are there any other books out there with "fighter" Heroes I should check out? Let me know in the comments! 

*This book was a self-purchase and I was not in any way compensated for, or even asked, to review this book. All opinions are my own*

The Sunday Post [2]

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 

~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~

It's a chance to share News. 

A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. 

This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies. 

This week was crazy, no?! The crazy started on Monday and I swear it didn't stop all week. It didn't help I've been run down from this cold and have been trying to get the house ready for the Uninvited who are coming on Tuesday. I call them the Uninvited because, well, they are. I'm trying not to be mean but they never called to ask me about staying at the house. I mean, I just live here. Why would that be important? Instead they went through my Mom and Aunt who said yes and THEN told me they were coming. Yeah, I know it sounds wacky. It's more than a bit complicated but the bottom line is, they're coming here. Tuesday. For 10 days. Please someone send the wine and hard liquor. And hey, is someone builds me a panic room in 24 hours so I can hide, I might even share the booze.

But despite the stress of it all, I did get a lot of reading, writing and even some reviewing done. Here's this past week, in review:

Books Read/Reviewed Last Week

A Week To Be Wicked (Spindle Cove #2) by Tessa Dare: I read this awhile ago but somehow this was still in the draft folder.  I wonder where my brain is sometimes. *sighs* Anyways, this is a red hot, 5 star historical romance. I really love this series.

Behind Closed Doors (McCloud & Friends, #1) by Shannon McKenna: Holy hell this book had me so conflicted I didn't know whether to keep reading half the time or hide under the covers. It was good but I did have a few issues here and there. Thankfully none of those issues are enough to stop me from adding the next in this series to the TBR list!

I also read Causing Havoc by Lori Foster this week. I just finished last night and let me tell you, this book was un-put-down-able. Yes, I'm going to somehow make that a word. I took it to my niece's softball game last night because I had to finish it. Look for this review on the blog soon!

What I'm Reading

At the moment I don't have a book that I'm currently in the middle of which is definitely out of the ordinary for me! But tonight I am going to start tackling one of the ARCs I received this week. Or maybe I'll start that tomorrow and instead grab one of Kristen Ashley's or Maya Banks' Highlander book to re-read. I'm feeling a comfort read coming on! 

Stacking The Shelves

I have a vitural back ache from the book haul I took in this week. Between netgalley invites, Read Now options and ARCs direct from publishers, I have enough to review to last quite awhile. The good thing is that based on the release dates of the books I'm able to spread out the reading and the reviewing over the next 6 weeks or so. For the titles I bought, borrowed or was asked to review, check out my post HERE.

ROW80 Update

Write/Revise 5 hours per week: I've been writing like crazy to catch up on my Camp NaNo deficit. Thankfully, I'm just about there. I need to write just over 1K words a day to make my 30K word goal for Camp.
Blog a minimum of one book review per week, here and/or on Goodreads: I reviewed two books on the blog this week; see the links above!
Blog once per week on something that isn't a book review or ROW80 update: Done! It seems that, so far, this ends up being Saturday's Stacking the Shelves post, which is fine with me because I've met some great folks through this meme! :D
Post my Sunday ROW80 Update: Done!
Organize my WiP Plan via Excel: Errrr, ummmmm, well, let's just skip this task for now, shall we? *grins sheepishly* I'm stuck on this mainly because I can't quite figure out how to do a tracking thingy (yeah I know, I said thingy) for the WiPs within the spreadsheet. I need to do more research on this and hopefully next week I will have a more productive update.

Next week I plan on keeping the same goals but I'm going to add 2 hours to my writing schedule. I want to get in about 1 hour of writing every day so I can get back into the habit of daily writing.

Not exactly exciting, I know, but I'm pretty happy with my Camp NaNo progress. I, sadly, don't have any awesome llama gifs to share this week, but I'll work on something just as awesome for next week. Until then, have a great week and if you're doing ROW80 and/or Camp NaNo, good luck! 

Stacking The Shelves [2]

This meme was started by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  The link is to the official launch page that explains what Stacking the Shelves is all about and where to sign up.  Basically, it's a weekly meme where you post what you've bought, borrowed, and/or read, throughout the week. To quote Tynga, "you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!"

I almost forgot to post this! Gah! I have house-guests coming next week and they "surprised" me by calling to say they're flying in Tuesday instead of Thursday. This was not really a good surprise since these aren't the type of guests that I usually like. And what I mean by that is, they didn't ask if they could stay here. They just called my mother about 3 months ago and told her they were staying with me when they came home. Sure, I have a couple extra rooms at my house, but I mean really, can't they ask me? Ya know, the person who actually lives here?! *smh*

But enough about me. After all, this is about what I took in this week, right?! Simply put, I think my Nook is bursting at the seams after this week. And many of those were ARCs which I will have to review, but I'm looking forward to that. Not to mention that, with my spiffy new calendar that I made which outlines when to post my review (and other) posts, I'm not too worried. (Organization, FTW!) Hopefully that calendar will also help me in ensuring I get my 1K words a day in for Camp NaNoWriMo. (See tomorrow's post for my progress on that!). Anyways, here's my book haul for the week

Bought:

Beg for Mercy and Falling Into You were on sale at Barnes and Noble when I picked them up, as was Charade. I picked up Charade and plan on reviewing that soon since I received an ARC of the second book in that series. I'm looking forward to reading all these books given the good things I've heard about them. Did any of y'all read these? What'd you think?

For Review (via Netgalley or from Publishers directly): 

With all these galleys, I'm going to be seriously busy but with the release dates for some of these in August (and one in October) I should have plenty of time. And besides, given how fast I read and that I've already planned it all out on the blog calendar, I've got no worries. Oh, just an fyi, the cover for Elite on the version I have is different than what is posted on GoodReads (the picture above). You can find the new cover (which is awesome) on the author's website, HERE.

Freebies:

I also got the Angles With Attitude series by Mimi Barbour free, via Amazon, on Wednesday. I'm not sure if it is still available but I've read a couple books by her and they've been decent reads. I've been wanting to get into this series for awhile so I'm glad I was able to snap them up!

So yeah, my Nook and Kindle app are filled up with books to last me for awhile. Or at least until Kristen Ashley's Rock Chick Revolution comes out on August 13th! Hope you all had a great week and enjoy the rest of your weekend!