The Sunday Post [8]

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."

Last week school started. I'm teaching at the local community college three classes this semester, all writing, and between that and the other job, it's taken a lot out of me. I still managed to get some writing and reading in though, as well as grab some books from the library. And buy some too. I had Kobo coupons that were going to expire. I had to! *looks around all guilty like* Don't judge me...

I've also been eating healthier. I figured that with this new schedule of mine I'd better start watching what I eat better and it seems to be working. I've added a lot more fruit to my daily intake and basil tea. Odd right? But someone suggested I should take some for my asthma. It tends to act up when my allergies do in the spring and fall and so when I was venting my frustration about always having to have  and use my inhalers. someone suggested drinking the tea. It's not a cure, of course. But it supposedly helps with respiratory symptoms? I don't know. I've only had two cups so far, but I'll keep you updated on my progress.

But enough of that. Let's get down to it, shall we?

BOOKS READ/REVIEWED LAST WEEK

ARC: The Demon's Desire by Kendra Leigh Castle
ARC-The Awakening: Liam by Abby Niles
ARC: Deady Sexy Dragon by Lolita Lopez

I also reviewed a few books on Goodreads, so if you'd like to see those, you can check out my profile, HERE.

WHAT I'M READING/ON THE BLOG THIS WEEK

As for this week, well, I have the folliwng to finish that I dind't quite get to last week:

In His Command by Rie Warren
Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson
The Companions by R.A. Salvatore

I am also adding Last Chance Summer by Hope Ramsay to this list as well. 

ARC AUGUST

I'm participating in this challenge to decrease the amount of ARCs I have and get my butt in gear with reviews. You can check out the details HERE. In terms of progress, here is how I did for the month:

• I finished August with having read/reviewed 7 ARCs, instead of 11. This annoys me, because I really wanted to hit my goal. But at the same time, 7 ARCs in one month for me is a good thing. And it's certainly progress. Hopefully I can keep this up and stay on top of things from this point on.

STACKING THE SHELVES

No dice this week. I just couldn't get my crap together enough yesterday to post. I think that, given my new work schedule, I will be combining the Sunday Post and StS memes and post them together. I've seen others do this and it makes sense. It will also leave me a third day to post a book review, if I need to. So, 3 days of reviews, a ROW80 post, and then the SP and StS meme together. I think I can handle that! 

Having said that, I did get a whole bunch more books via the library book sale so if you're interested in checking out what I've added to my paperbacks, you can check out that shelf HERE. 

That's it for me: short, sweet and to the point. Or well, kinda-sorta anyways! I'm off to get some reading in before bed. I have a day off tomorrow and plan to enjoy it! Have a good week everyone!  

The Sunday Post [6]: Little Progress and a Necessary Break

 

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 always try to have a plan, especially when I have weeks (or in this case, a month) where I'm swamped with work, reading, writing, family duties, and well, trying to have a personal life. This month that plan hasn't seemed to work so well for me. Oh, I'm getting things done. But I've had to sacrifice sleep and sanity to do it. Thankfully, Saturday will be the end of this month from hell and I can get back to some normalcy. I hope.

On the upside, things at work are going well. Or, going better than they were in the beginning of the year anyways. I've also been managing to pay off some bills (yay!) and stick to my budget (double yay!).  I'm slowly making headway on my website and hope to have that up and running soon. Getting familiar with WordPress has been interesting, to say the least, but once I find a background I like, I think it will be launch time. Maybe by September 1, or at the latest, the middle of September. The organizer in me wants to be sure I understand what I'm doing before I launch so yeah, maybe mid September is a better goal post for this!

But on to the here and now, this week's review of all things reading, reviewing and writing related with some miscellany thrown in between for good measure. 

BOOKS READ/REVIEWED:

Facade by Nyrae Dawn

The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

Both of these made me ball my eyes out, for different reasons, but yeah, I was a sobbing mess by the end of them. I keep my reviews spoiler free for the most part so check them out if you're looking for a new adult book to read.

I also finished Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie and I fell in love with the hero in that book. And the heroine too. It was heart-warming, sweet and just what I needed after the angst of the other two I read this week. This was a just for fun book, and one I needed to finish so I could return it to the library.  I don't plan on reviewing this for the blog though I think I could write pages and pages on how deeply this book impacted me. The banter was great, the plot was interesting and not in any way over the top and the author had me connecting to the heroine in such a meaningful way that even days later I can't stop thinking about it. I might have to break down and buy this one so I can have it for re-read purposes.

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING:

I have way too much to focus on this week so reading will be far down the list for me, sadly.  So other than finishing comments on my CP's book, I don't have much to read this week on my reading list. It's a short list in fact (only two books I think) and on top is Curse of Passion by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez.

STACKING THE SHELVES:

I didn't get to post my week's intake yesterday because I was up at the crack of dawn so I could get to Syracuse for the day. I had to go yesterday to do a final check of the venue and make sure we had everything.

I did get some ARCs this week though, four to be exact, though some of these don't have to be reviewed until later in the month or September so I have time. Thankfully.

Safe in His Arms by Renee Jones
Dead Sexy Dragon by Lolita Lopez
In His Command by Rie Warren
Last Chance Summer by Hope Ramsay

I also bought two of Lauren Dane's books, Giving Chase and Taking Chase, and Rock Hard by Olivia Cunning. I bought these only because I had great coupon offers from Kobo and could not pass them up. I'm a sucker for a sale.

ARC August:

You can check out the details HERE but basically I'm participating in this challenge to decrease the amount of ARCs I have and get my butt in gear with reviews. (Ironic since, I'm trying to decrease the pile of ARCs and yet I got more this week. I don't even think I can explain that. LOL)  Anyways, you can check out my goals for the month, HERE. In terms of progress, here is how I'm doing so far:

• This week I read three of the ARCs and finished (and posted) two of the reviews (see above for the links!). I will finish the third review and post it sometime this week. 

ROW80:

Well, let's just call the week a big ole fail on the writing front, shall we? I don't like making excuses, I really don't. But honestly, with maid of honor duties for this shower I have had to devote my time to getting that done. So the only writing I've gotten in is for the party games templates, emails to the rest of the birdesmaids, and to-do lists. As I said earlier, after the 17th of August life will calm down and at that point I plan to reassess my ROW80 goals and move forward. But until then I'm taking a break from my goals. I'll call it a vacation though I doubt it will be very relaxing!

AROUND THE WEB:

A great post about "blah-ging": dealing with the case of the blahs while blogging and some tips on how to get out of it.

The best blog ever when it comes to books, bookshelves, libraries and everything that is books and reading! Gah! It's heaven! I found heaven, people! And you can find it too by clicking HERE.

Who doesn't like Cookie Monster?! Having grown up with the Muppets and Sesame Street I have a lot of love for them. Heck, I still have my Kermit the Frog stuffed animal I got when I was 4. Yeah, I know, it's crazy, but I can't throw out Kermit!! Anyways, check out Cookie Monster and his song about self control HERE.  (And thanks to @Katiebabs for tweeting this! She comes up with some of the best links ever.)

This is an older link (July 2012) but seriously, these are adorable and make me smile, laugh and some I even get a bit teary eyed over. In fact, I may or may not have been crying when I read #10. So check out The 50 Cutest Things That Ever Happened and don't blame me if you need tissues.

And finally, @smexys_sidekick tweeted this quote from Tina Fey which I re-tweeted because seriously, it's Truth:  “It is impressively arrogant to conclude that just because you don’t like something, it is empirically not good." ― Tina Fey  I love this quote. I need it billboard size.

So that's it for me this week. Between work, where I have a ton of deadlines to meet including one which will keep me tied to my desk Monday and Tuesday all damn day, and until next week's festivities are over I won't be around all that much. I'm even skipping my monthly book club. Can you believe that?! Instead I'll be home, drinking copious amounts of wine and making enough chicken riggies for 50 people.  (If you're from central New York or have been here, you likely know what those are. :D ) I hope everyone has a great week and see you next Sunday!

ARC August: Setting Goals to Tackle My Pile of ARCs

ARC August is a challenge for all of us reviwers out there who may have gotten a little bit behind in reading ARCs. Or, perhaps a lot behind. Don't worry. I won't judge. As Ocativa says on the ARC August post, "type up a post just saying you’re participating then add your link in the linky below! The post can be as detailed (how many ARC’s you have, etc.) or as simple as you want just make sure your mention this post so other people can join!"

And what does one get at the end of ARC August? Well, for one, the knowledge that your ARC to-be-read pile is smaller. And for two, the chance to win a $20 dollar gift card via Read, Sleep, Repeat.

So I'm joining up and this is my goal for the month:

Read and prepare reviews for 11 books and schedule for posting in either August or September, depending on release date.  

This goal, or set of goals rather, should ensure that I stay up to date with the ARCs I have to read and review and also that I not only read, but actually prepare the posts. The latter is the hardest part for me. It shouldn't be, since I make notes and highlights and all that while reading, but it is. My hope is that the ARC August Challenge will help me get on top of that! (Note: not all of these are ARCs. Some are earlier books in a series that I have the current book in ARC format for. By reading the ARC and preparing the review,, VOILA! My ARC pile decreases!)

Here is a sampling, but not all, of the books and ARCs I will be reading this month with the reviews *hopefully" going up in the months of August and September (again, depends on the release dates):





So, are you participating in ARC August? What are your goals for the months. Or do you want to join in? Click HERE to go to the post that explains the rules and don't forget to include the link to your goal post on that page!

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*

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! 

A New Round And New Goals (Sorta): ROW80, Round 2

Before delineating my goals I need to do a quick recap of my plan for 2013. When I posted my goals in January for Round 1 I set about making a year long plan and then broke down my goals from there for Round 1, and then ever further into weekly goals.  I plan on doing this same thing as I start Round 2: evaluating my 2013 plan, seeing what I've done and what still needs to be accomplished, and then outlining my goals from there into Round specific goals and then weekly goals. This, for me, was an effective strategy last round so why change what clearly isn't broken, right?

So let's review. In January I wrote that in 2013 I wanted to send out my first complete novel length book to publishers.  I used the first round to learn to write query letters and synopses that don't totally suck (though I still hate them. I loathe them even. Abhor! Well, you get the idea...) and well, I hit send about a week ago, sending off my MS to a few publishers  I think I would rather be in a cage with a very hungry and pissed off zombie than go through that again, but well, hopefully it gets easier the more I do this.

One of my other goals for 2013 dealt with sending off Wanted to publishers by mid year 2013.  I am on track to have it ready sometime in June or July but I am obviously going to wait to see what happens with my first book and then adjust if necessary. Either way, part of Round 2 will be focused on this book and getting it ready for query or self-publishing. My other 2013 goal was to finish my GR reading challenge and well, I'm moving right along on that so need to talk about that as of now. The last of my 2013 goals was to organize my billion and a half unfinished WiPs and outlines and make a WiP plan. Well, this is a work in progress itself. I'll get there. Eventually. *grumbles and sulks*

Overall it looks as if my 2013 plan is working out well. So given the progress I've made so far here is what I want to accomplish by the end of this specific ROW80 Round:

• Complete Camp NaNo in April: My goal is a minimum of 30K words on my WiP for the month. I hope to have a title soon but til then, well, it's my Camp NaNo project. (Note: This isn't a from scratch project for NaNo. I had about 30K words written on it already. By the end of April hopefully this book will be complete, or at least close to it.)
• Finish revisions and edits of Wanted:  This is the one I finished in November for NaNoWriMo but then put aside. I had hoped to finish revisions in Round 1 but evil queries and synopses got in my way. EVIL I SAY!  So now it's time to finally dig into the revisions and finish this. 

My last set of goals are those outlined each week and are more micro in nature as I work towards accomplishing the larger Round 2 and year long goals. These may change from week to week depending on work projects and other things going on.  This week my goals are as follows:

• Write every day: whether this is revisions of Wanted, writing on my Camp NaNo project, notes for my outlines, or on some other WiP, I am committing to writing every day. *nods for emphasis*
• Review a minimum of three books per week: I slacked off last week from being so sick. Pneumonia will do that to a person apparently. But this week, well it's time to get back on the horse. 
• Post Sunday ROW80 Update
• Catch up on all grading by the end of the week
• Exercise: I am going to start out slow and try for once a week. It's not a lot I know, but the doctors want me to take it easy while my lungs heal up and since I'm still not 100% I need to be really careful here. I'm thinking some relaxing yoga to start might help and then hopefully I can move to more active cardio in the next couple weeks.

As you can see, for me, staying organized is key. And I have found that separating my goals into a year plan, then smaller chunks accomplished via ROW80 Rounds and within that, goals outlined every week, I am able to stay on track and not get overwhelmed.  At least, that is the hope! And speaking of writing, I am off to write a bit more as I have a few more scenes I'd like to finish tonight.  I wish everyone a happy start to the second round and good luck with your goals! 

RAID, Reading, RAID, Reading...With Some Writing Thrown In

This was essentially my week.

And did I mention Raid?!  Well let me just mention it again.  Kristen Ashley's third book in her Unfinished Heroes series came out two days earlier than expected. I bought it immediately. And then I devoured it on the 27th. My review will be coming soon enough but just have to say...

IT WAS ABSOF*@#INGAMAZING. 

Anyone who has read Raid will get that reference! ;D

Anyways, since it's been a been a busy week all around and I have a super busy Sunday ahead of me, I will try to keep this short.

First, this week on the blog:

Falling For The Lawyer by Anna Clifton:  I received an ARC of this book and it's a solid 3.5 stars. It was cute and I look forward to reading books this author writes in the future.

Bella Andre's The Look of Love (Sullivans, #1): 4 out of 5 stars for me and I cannot wait to dive into the rest of these books. I have the next 4 in the series and seriously, the Sullivan brothers? From what I've seen, it's going to be a fun ride!

Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks: This was a solid 5 out of 5 stars and is such a well done highlander romance. To top that, the fiercely strong and amazing heroine is deaf and is such a strong, amazing, incredible heroine. Maya Banks kicks butt with this book.

Love and a Blue-Eyed Cowboy by Sandra Chastain:  This was my first review of an ARC I received via Netgalley. This was published initially in 1992 and though I liked it, I had to work hard not comparing it to today's romance novels and look through the lens of an earlier time while I was reviewing it.

As for music, I am still on my Lana del Ray kick. I tried to find an official youtube video of her song "Radio" because it is so, so good but was not successful. If you get a chance, check it out on itunes, spotify, pandora, or wherever it is you use to listen to your music, especially if you're looking for something different!

And last, my ROW80 update. Here we go:

• Continue working on synopsis: Still in progress. As I was revising my draft last week I went back through the novel to make sure I've hit all the important parts. I need to add a few more things and re-word a few paragraphs but it's nearing completion. I thought this would be easy. At least easier than the query letter, but yeah, I was so wrong. 
• Spend 2 hours on collaborative project: Nothing to see here. Literally. Once I get this darn synopsis done I can concentrate on this. One thing (and one day) at a time! 
• Post at least 3 book reviews here or on GR- Done! See above for links to the ones on the blog or check my GR page.  
• Read/comment on at least 5 blogs- Done!
• Check in for ROW80 on Sunday- Done!
• Workout 3 times- um, well...I've been eating healthier at least  Except for one day when I did take out (and regretted it). But as for working out...*hides under desk* 

Next week the goals will be the same except that I will be adding (1) to catch up on grading and (2) prepare the midterm exam by Friday.  I can't believe it's that time of year already!

Lastly, I have been figuring things out here at my blog, as in how to do things that most people find pretty easy but I do not. I found a contact form I like and added that page and I also figured out how to shorten urls with google's url shortening service. (This was surprisingly easy. I really need to not be scared of this tech stuff sometimes and just do it. LOL) I moved a few widgets around, added my copyright on the bottom (since I'm doing book reviews now, this is especially important as I don't want my reviews showing up elsewhere without permission), and am trying to figure out Google+.  I was also moderately busy on pinterest, which for the record, can be a time suck but it's worth it when I find a pair of shoes or quote or anything else I like!

So busy week, no?  After all that I think today calls for tossing some chicken in the crock-pot for some southwest chicken and rice later and relaxing. :D  I hope everyone has had a fabulous week and for those of you in ROW80, good luck with your goals! 

Book Review: Black Ice by Anne Stuart (Ice #1)

Title: Black Ice
Author: Anne Stuart
Publisher: Mira
Publication Date: Jan. 1, 2007

My Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

I have read a lot of books in my 30-plus years of, well, reading. And a lot of these are good. Some are even great. But, it is rare for me to come across a book that has to be considered one of the best books I have ever read in my entire life. Black Ice ranks up there as one of these books.

From Goodreads:

Living paycheck to paycheck in Paris, American book translator Chloe Underwood would give anything for some excitement and passion--even a little danger. So when she's offered a lucrative weekend gig translating at a business conference in a remote chateau, she jumps at the chance to shake things up.

Then by chance Chloe discovers her employers are anything but the entrepreneurs they appear, and suddenly she knows far too much. Her clients are illegal arms dealers, and one of them is ordered to kill her. But instead, Bastien Toussaint drags Chloe away, and the next thing she knows she's on the run with the most terrifying and seductive man she's ever met. What were his motives--and would she live long enough to find out?

My thoughts:

This book kept coming up in recommendations on Goodreads and people were raving about it. I finally bought is and holy heck this book blew.me.AWAY! This book had me at the edge of my seat. Seriously at the freaking edge of my seat! 

In some reviews, I tend to focus on the relationship between the characters. And there is a relationship here that needs to be talked about.  But it is the story itself and the character of Bastien that had me completely enthralled. His character boggled my mind.  I went through the book vacillating between wanting Chloe to beat him over the head with a solid object and running for her life, and running into his arms, proclaiming her undying love. I could not figure him out and then BAM! Suddenly, I got it. We started to get into his head and saw the internal battle he was fighting between the man he was trained to be and the man he wanted to be with Chloe.  As for Chloe, I found myself liking her. She was not a kick ass heroine. She was strong in some ways, but she was stupid in others. But above all of this, I felt that she was written realistically for the situation she found herself in.  Chloe was real for me because there were times she was freaking out and rightly so! Though I do admit, her looking on the computer, when she had an idea things were not on the right side of the law...Well that was just freakin stupid. But, we all have lapses in judgment I guess. And seriously, if Bastien was around me and I was being tortured by someone even scarier than him, well I might be that stupid too.

Now, I have to talk about the part where Bastien takes Chloe. Or the circumstances leading up to it.  This is mentioned in the blurb. When he drags her away, he doesn't kidnap her. What he offers though is something way better than what Chloe had been experiencing before he came into the room. Even though she is terrified of him too, she knows he offers her something she won't get while in that room. Life. And in that scene, when Chloe was on the floor, fighting her urge to give in and scream, maybe that is why Bastien saved her. I don't know. He was pretty into her before, but I couldn't tell if, in the beginning, this was part of his act or not. But in any case, when he saw her there, and saw her strength as she tried to resist what was coming, his humanity showed through. The ice began to thaw and he saved her from a horrible, torturous experience. And for that, I will love Bastien forever.

There is romance in the book. But it is not romance in the traditional sense. They are running for their lives, literally, and there isn't a lot of time to stop and have a chat. They connect physically but both seem to understand that a lot of this has to do with what they are running from.  They give in, but they also believe it won't last, no matter how much they want it to.  Bastien knows he has to give her up. He doesn't feel like he is good enough for her and that she deserves more. Not a broken man like him. And everything he does for her to get her out of the line of fire, and then later, to protect her when she gets home even at risk to his own safety, shows that he loves Chloe. That he wants her so badly but is willing to sacrifice his happiness for her to find it with someone else. This broke my heart.

Some may ask, was it Stockholm Syndrome? Heck, Chloe herself asked this several times. She tried to convince herself that it was. I don't know enough about that to say one way or another. I will say though that Chloe was never really his hostage. He made clear that if she left she would be killed (and she almost was), but not necessarily by him. (It was a bit ambiguous in the beginning, when he was being all 'bad guy', but it changed once he saved her.)    She let him keep her safe. And who wouldn't? I mean, I'd prefer living over dying so yeah, I would definitely have made the same choice Chloe did.  She wasn't doing it because she was lusting after Bastien. She did to survive. And because of this, her uncertainty about things with Bastien on the personal level was realistic. She was wondering herself, just like I was, whether she only wanted him because of the situation they were in or if she really did want to be with him.

The very end, I swear my heart was in pieces. From the point where he came back to the last page, I was just out of breath. The bedroom scene? *sighs*  The crawl space scene *gasps* The mine? Well frak me I think I stopped breathing.  At that point, I was pretty certain that the author had done the unthinkable but I had to keep reading, even if that was the case, because I had to know. I won't say what happened but the roller coaster of emotions was so worth it.

I've seen reviewers complain about the ending, because it just...well...ends. But there is resolution. And to me, it was perfect. And the last thing he says...I totally squealed with happiness!  Don't get me wrong, I love a good epilogue. But I can live without them too. Because in my head, where all my favorite fictional characters live in happily ever land, I am confident things are all rainbows and unicorns.

So if you are looking for a phenomenal romantic suspense novel that will keep you off balance while you're trying to figure things out, this is it. Here are the book links for Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Happy reading!

Note: This is the first in a series but the books have different main characters in them. I am not sure if there is any connection as I have not read the next one. Yet. But I will.

*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*

Must See Television, New-ish Music and a ROW80 Update

I love Matthew MacFadyen. I am addicted to Ripper Street because of him. Not to mention the guy who plays the American doctor (or whatever he is...) is just gorgeous. It's gritty and very British and I can't stop watching. 

I know that has nothing to do with my goals, but I had to say it. In addition, my other new addiction is the music of Lana Del Ray. Holy hell this woman can sing. Here is the official video for Blue Jeans (I freaking LOVE this song...):

Her music might not be to everyone's taste but don't judge her on just this song. Check out some of her other music (Video Games, Gods and Monsters, Born To Die, Off To The Races...just to name a few!) Video Games is by far one of my favorites. Or at least the one I have on repeat the most lately!

But enough about my new TV and music addictions. Here is my ROW80 update:

• Work on revising and cutting down my query letter- I've cut the query letter down to a page. YAY! Though I still am not thrilled with it. For now I am going to shift focus to the synopsis now. This should be the easy part. Or at least easier than that damn query letter.  
• Spend 2 hours on collaborative project- I suck. 
• Post at least 1 book review here or on GR- Done! I've posted several reviews of late-one here and a few others on Goodreads. The link for the latest review on the blog is at the bottom of this post if you'd like to check it out. (You can also find more reviews at Goodreads!)
• Read/comment on at least 5 blogs- I've completed this goal but will go back around today and tomorrow to see how fellow ROW80ers are doing.
• Check in for ROW80 on Sunday- It's not Sunday yet...
• Workout 3 times- *crickets*

In terms of my goals, I am glad I slowed things down when I did. My sleeping schedule has been really messed up and I am trying to get that back under control. I am hopeful that when I do I can add a few more goals here and there. Maybe. On a side note, I am really starting to miss writing on some of my other WiPs. Yesterday I went back to dabbling on another story during the #row80 twitter sprint, just to take the edge off not working on anything new of late. I felt so much better after I did. So, even though I am not making this a goal per say for this week, I am going to try and join in a few more sprints this week to keep that up. (I have found when I can't/don't write, I get a *tad* cranky...)  Anyways, I hope everyone's week is going well and good luck with your goals!

What you may have missed on the blog:

Book Review: Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Staying Steady: A ROW80 Update

Book Review: Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Title: Devil's Bride (Cynster #1)
Author: Stephanie Laurens
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: March 17, 2009

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

From Goodreads:

When Devil, the most infamous member of the Cynster family, is caught in a compromising position with plucky governess Honoria Wetherby, he astonishes the entire town by offering his hand in marriage. No one dreamed this scandalous rake would ever take a bride. And as society mamas swooned at the loss of England′s most eligible bachelor, Devil′s infamous Cynster cousins began to place wagers on the wedding date.

But Honoria wasn′t about to bend society′s demands and marry a man "just" because they′d been found together virtually unchaperoned. No, she craved adventure, and while solving the murder of a young Cynster cousin fit the bill for a while, she decided that once the crime was solved she′d go off to see the world. But the scalding heat of her unsated desire for Devil soon had Honoria craving a very different sort of excitement. Could her passion for Devil cause her to embrace the enchanting peril of a lifelong adventure of the heart?

Let me state first that I am not *usually* a fan of historical romance. I like my contemporaries mainly because the characters can be a bit freer in their language which translates to seriously hot scenes. In my opinion anyways.

However, on Sunday I was perusing a few review blogs and I came across someone who suggested this books. I headed over to Goodreads to see what had been said about them. Even after seeing all the positive reviews I was leery about trying a historical romance. I should have known better.

I mean, I did this same thing with Highlander romances. I hesitated and was all "those aren't my thing" then I read one and was like "hot damn send me back in time so long as they have indoor plumbing!".  I don't read a lot of them, but every once in awhile a hot highlander is what a girl needs, ya know?

Anyways, back to Devil's Bride. Oh Devil. DEVIL! That man is freaking hot. He is scary hot. And even though it's a historical, this man loves his woman, and he is fiercely protective of her. Who knew there could be hot alphas back in the day. And in this case, there are A LOT of them! I mean, Vane, Scandal, Demon, Gabriel, Lucifer...Dear god, I could swoon just thinking about them all!

But let me get back to Devil. When he sees Honoria, and they banter, well he knows. I mean he totally knows that she is the woman who will be his wife. I loved that about him. Usually I see insta-love and cringe. But here? Oh no. In the short time we come to know Devil, it's made clear he is a man who knows what he wants. He says it in fact. He is a fighter, a warrior, a conqueror. And he's a landed Duke. So yeah, he wants her and he claims her. In words of course, not in action. Devil is a gentleman. Sometimes. ;)

Honoria. Let's talk about this woman for a second. First, the fact that she didn't have to rely on Devil for money was awesome. It isn't something that one sees a lot in historical  Of course she isn't as wealthy as Devil. But she does have enough that getting married isn't a financial necessity  This was a nice change. Her past was heart-breaking and I really understood (once we find out the why) why she was leery of falling in love and getting hitched. I was glad that the author did this. She wasn't just contrary to the idea to be contrary. (I admit that I was frustrated with her at first. But then it was like "AHA!" and then I was all "Awwww Honoria! Let me give you a hug honey!).  She had her reasons and when Devil figured out what it was, he showed her the patient, sweet, adorable man that he could be. While still being unbelievably sexy.

Speaking of sex. Let's get to that part. I was initially thinking purple-prose, fade to black scenes and/or lack of steam. Well let me just say that Stephanie Laurens you can write a freakin' sex scene! But first she builds up to it. And darn you Ms. Laurens every time we got close something  interrupted them! Or Honoria got confused. Or Devil decided that he wanted Honoria to make her decision before he made her his wife. And I was like "omg you're freaking killing  me woman!". Especially the scene at the Ball. Well, maybe she wasn't killing me, but ladies, I'm sure you get my meaning. Also, she doesn't keep the sex scenes all buttoned up. Devil likes sex (and all that leads up to sex) and he teaches Honoria all about what he knows. And he also switches things up, being adventurous about just where they can engage in all things sex. Yes. Devil is  not shy. And Honoria catches on quickly. One more thing about the sexy scenes  As I mentioned, the build up happens slow, with soul shattering kisses and touching and ya know, all that good stuff. Before they are married. And don't worry.You don't have to wait for the wedding night for all the clothes to come totally off. (Another reason I loved this book. I know, I'm a romance novel whore. Don't judge me!)

Another thing I really liked about this book: Although it was approx. 300+ pages on my Nook Color, it didn't go fast for me. With these books (and Highlanders) I find that I really have to take my time to get the lay of the land and figure out who is related to who and who is a Duke, or a Duchess or a Lord, etc. This for some reason made the reading experience way better for me. Oh, and I know some people weren't impressed with the suspense aspect. It is relatively obvious who the 'bad guy' is. But I didn't mind this. I think it was because watching the characters try to figure it out and put the pieces together was enjoyable. Sure I knew, but it didn't drag nor was it tedious. There were times I was like "No, don't go there! Don't do that!" to the characters (in my head of course. I'm not that cray-cray). But this was fun for me. It was like watching a movie where you know who the killer is, but the main characters don't. It was nice to be along for the ride as they put the clues together.

The author's descriptions of the land, the people and society in general was well written. I am one of those readers who wants an author to be super detailed. (Hello Kristen Ashley! This is why I love your books! Er, well one of them!) And the book didn't suffer from first-book-in-a- series syndrome. There are a lot of characters sure, but it's not overwhelming. She gives just enough to really want to dive into book 2. (Vane and Patience! Yay!!!!)  There is also humor and sweetness in the books. Devil's horse was awesome. (I hope he enjoyed those tea cakes!) And Honoria trying to protect Devil, when he was trying to protect her? Freaking adorable. Oh and when Devil and Honoria cut the cake? Humorous and hot.  Lastly, the rest of the Cynsters cracked me up. I loved the epilogue when Honoria found out about the book. The joke was totally on them.

Bottom line, this book does not disappoint. I am going to be nabbing the second in the series today however, I am going to read some contemporaries first. I've heard that, like with the highlander romances, one shouldn't mainline the entire series at once. (Although, honestly, I think this might be true with most series. I ODed on the Stephanie Plum series big time after a marathon read of it to the point where I just cannot do it anymore.)

*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*

Book Review: Graceful Submission by Melinda Barron

Title: Graceful Submission
Author: Melinda Barron
Publisher: Loose ID, LLC.
Publication Date: January 1, 2009

First, let me warn you. This book is fast. If you get frustrated by characters who instantly connect and fall head over heels for each other, be aware that this happens. I don't mind this concept. I never have really because if it's done right it doesn't feel like the characters have only known each other for a short time. Also, it's fiction. And like with all things fiction, I suspend reality for a little while. That's the point isn't it? I mean we read to get away from the 'real world' for a bit and live where happily ever afters happen and hot, sexy alpha males actually don't mind a woman who is not a size 0. So, because of this, I don't mind journeying into a world where the heroes are alpha, women are strong, can kick ass when they need to, and at some point, the hero and heroine fall madly and deeply in love with each other and realize they're soul mates. Yeah, totally not the real world. So, this is the kind of thing I want to read, as long as it has a plot, character development and is well written.

For me, Graceful Submission had these things. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Plus-sized Grace Kinison lives a dull life. She's a teacher and aspiring author who does nothing but work and then write on her novel. That is, until she becomes a cyber submissive.
Grace has agreed to help her childhood friend's husband plan her surprise birthday party. Grace thinks her fellow party planner, Toffer Shelley, is a writer on a TV show. What she doesn't know is that he's the show's sexy star, Drake Dawson. He's a Dom, and he wants to work his magic on her.
When Grace runs into trouble at work, her cyber relationship turns into the real thing after she travels to Hollywood to meet Toffer. She's thrilled to be meeting her Master, until she realizes that he's the most gorgeous man in Hollywood.
But Toffer won't let Grace judge him by his looks. He takes her on a sexual journey full of bondage and submission, which give her strength to overcome challenges in her own work.

As the synopsis for the book indicates the two "meet" online. So if you have an issue believing this sort of thing can happen and be successful, just keep that in mind before reading!  So basically Grace and Toffer get to know each other first online, with the two being flirty while planning their mutual friend's party and then deciding to explore things from there with talking not only via IMs and email, but also on the phone, and eventually in person.  It was a cute story, sweet, and definitely heavy on the steam factor. (The scene where he is at some award show and calls her!?! Wow. Just...Holy hell. I mean, ohmyfreakinglord! *fans self*)

Now, I need to talk about Grace. For the most part she was cool and I liked her a lot. But the whole issue with her boss really pissed me off. I wanted her to stand up to him before she did. I get that this was in the story to add an interesting plot line and give some background, but it just felt forced at times. The only other issue I had was that the misunderstanding(s) between Grace and Toffer made me want to smack Grace. Hard. Instead of communicating with him, she took off. This was not cool. Especially not after everything she and Toffer talked about and did. She should have trusted him more. But it wouldn't be a romance without the misunderstandings, right? I guess if the misunderstandings had been developed a bit more and shown to have more of an effect on the character.  The way it is, it's almost as if it's a 'throw away' sort of misunderstanding just because romantic fiction almost requires such conflict.

There were areas that the plot could have been developed more to make it a bit longer (the party planning aspect could have gone on a bit longer. Her friends in LA weren't in it all that much; and maybe some more background on Grace and Toffer would have been nice. But then, this might not be a "complaint" since when I'm reading a book I get into a mode where I really don't want it to end even though I know it has to.

Despite the issues I had, I did enjoy the book. It was a quick, hot read and so it gets a 3.5 out of 5 stars. The author has an engaging voice and I will likely check out the next in the series (as well as her back list) when I get the chance.   I am interested in finding out about Grace's friend and the lawyer and keeping my fingers crossed that they get a book.

*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*

Book Review: Reaper's Property by Joanna Wylde

Title: Reaper's Property
Author: Joanna Wylde
Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing Inc.
Publication Date: January 9, 2013

First, let me say I love me a bad ass biker. Wanna know how much? Well, Biker Chick by JoDee Messina is on regular rotation on my mp3 player, especially in the summer. Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley is one of my favorite books as is Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan (my review of that can be found on HERE.).  And Sons of Anarchy is my absolute must see TV show. (Chibs. I love that man. *sighs*) So if it has
a motorcycle and a hot guy in it, I'm likely going to check it out.

So, in the Kristen Ashley Addict's Support group on Goodreads someone recommended Reaper's Property, and after hearing great things about it I picked up the book. Actually, I first messaged the author because I wanted to buy it on Nook. Joanna Wylde let me know it would be up on Barnes and Noble but she just wasn't sure when.  She directed me to the excerpt on her website to tide me over. I read it. Can I just say, OMG! I was hooked.  And then I had to wait.  So I waited. And waited some more. In total it was about 9 days. NINE WHOLE DAYS! They might have been the longest of my life; that is how much I wanted to read this book! So by the time I hit "purchase" I was quivering with
anticipation But let me tell you, it was all worth the wait!

First, let's start with the blurb from Goodreads:

Marie doesn't need a complication like Horse. The massive, tattooed, badass biker who shows up at her brother’s house one afternoon doesn't agree. He wants Marie on his bike and in his bed. Now.

But Marie just left her abusive jerk of an ex-husband and she’s not looking for a new man. Especially one like Horse—she doesn't know his real name or where he lives, she’s ninety percent certain he’s a criminal and that the “business” he talks with her brother isn't website design. She needs him out of her life, which would be a snap if he’d just stop giving her mind-blowing orgasms.

Horse is part of the Reapers Motorcycle Club, and when he wants something, he takes it. What he wants is Marie, but she’s not interested in becoming “property of”.

Then her brother steals from the club. Marie can save him by giving Horse what he wants—at home, in public, on his bike… If she’s a very, very good girl, she’ll get lots more of those orgasms only he can offer, and he’ll let her brother live.

Maybe.

Horse was hot, alpha, an ass, but god did he love Marie. He, being a hot alpha biker, had no idea how to show this so he seriously messed up on occasion. But I think in the end he made up for it all. As for Marie, she was a bit naive in the beginning. And I did understand her trepidation about being an "old lady" but at one point her indignation at being considered "property" seemed a bit forced. I am in no way condoning a woman being anyone's property. I'd sooner stab someone that ever do that. My issue was more that she didn't listen to what Horse was saying. He was trying to explain the MC culture. He wasn't saying he thought of Marie as his property, it just was the culture and how the guys saw it. But instead of thinking about this from the MC point of view, she flipped the hell out. Not cool Marie. Not cool at all. However, even though it wasn't cool, it fit who Marie was. That might sound confusing, but looking at from my perspective I'd have acted different. But because it's Marie, and because the author set up who she was as a person so well, Marie's reaction wasn't something I can really get annoyed about. It was just...well it was Marie!

The secondary characters were fun to hear about. I loved how the women supported Marie and made her feel welcome. I caught the look between Painter and Em and that certainly piqued my interest. (Will they get an HEA?! Will they? Will they?! *bounces around with a grin*)  Of all of them Serena was the biggest surprise for me. At first I hated her and thought she was a distraction. However, the author proved me wrong and Serena became someone I ended up liking. A lot.  I hope she gets an HEA at some point. Maybe her and Picnic should get together!? That'd be hot. *snickers* Oh and a note on Marie's brother. I think, with regard to him, the author did an excellent job. She had me totally liking him in the beginning, and then, through a series of events...oh did he make me mad! Kudos to Ms. Wylde for the twists and turns she provided. It was such a fun ride!

I enjoyed the grittiness of this book. I actually wish we saw more of it. I don't mind the dark side of life (as long as I am just reading about it or watching it on TV.) It's why I like SOA: the grit, the violence, the sex, the drugs...it's intoxicating and usually so horrifying I can't look away. Makes for good TV. or books. I also liked how the author talked the MC talk and she researched the culture. I really got the sense she knew about what she was writing. She mentioned cuts, the 1%, going to "church", the parties, the ways the members dealt with issues within their ranks, the dirty, kinky and out of control sex, drugs and rock and roll, and other tidbits of MC culture. Another plus? The switching of POVs between Horse and Marie at times. I actually wish there was a bit more of it. It really helped in understanding what was happening, especially when the whole text messaging debacle happened between the two. It sorted out, at least for the reader, that they were both being idiots and needed to communicate better and I don't think this would have been conveyed properly if we didn't hear from both of them. (Though I do wonder, was this ever resolved? I don't remember Horse ever finding out that Marie sent the last message. He read her drunk texts, and then threw his phone. Did he ever know she sent the one saying she was sorry?! I think that question requires a thorough re-read!)

There were a few plot holes however, they weren't distracting. They just left me with questions when I finished. First, Marie had an anonymous email account and I thought this would be implausible given the surveillance the guys had on her. And even if it did get by, why didn't she tell Horse when they made up?  And with Max I would have liked to hear, via Horse's POV, what happened to him. Why did they let Max back? Wouldn't he be one of the 1st suspects when all the bad stuff is going down? And I didn't get why Marie was locked upstairs during the party. Why couldn't she hang with the gang. She'd have been protected it would seem. Oh, and when Horse in the hospital and before the epilogue, there was a chunk missing. I was dying to know what happened with regard to the aftermath of what I'll call the "big bang". (And I don't mean anything dirty here, so get your mind out of the gutter!)  Lastly, at the end, what happened to the dog?! I didn't see anything mentioned in the epilogue, though I could have missed it. Please tell me he is alright! *worries like crazy over Horse's dog*  Again, none of these things make the book any less great. It is likely something that will improve as the author moves forward with her writing. (Note: As a writer, sometimes I too miss plot points in telling a story. The characters are in my head while I'm writing; so I know what happens along the way, even in the background. But sometimes I forget to flesh it out for the reader, who is most definitely not in my head. It happens and it's something that only gets easier to avoid the more a person works on the craft of writing.)

As you can see I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more about the Reapers. I hope we get Picnic's story and Painter's. I hope too that we see Marie and Horse a little bit during those books as well. I give this a 4 out of 5 stars!

If you'd like to purchase the book, here are the links for Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Also, the author was kind enough to do a Q&A session with the Kristen Ashley Addicts Support Group on Goodreads and that thread can be found HERE.. She answers a bunch of questions from readers and gives insight into the research she did and the book itself.  Did I mention she rocks?! If I didn't I should have. Cause she does. Check out that thread and you will see how right I am!

*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*

Book Review: Come Away With Me by Kristen Proby

It's been several days since I read this book and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. The premise is good. I liked the characters to some degree. But there was something missing that stops me from rating this higher than a 3.5 out of 5. [Note: I don't give away any major twists but there may be a minor spoiler here or there. You have been warned.]  

First, here is the info from Goodreads:

Title: Come Away With Me
Author: Kristen Proby
Publication Date: November 7, 2012
*Warning: Contains profanity, explicit sex, and a super sexy couple!

Being confronted on the beach by a sexy stranger wasn't part of Natalie Conner's plans for a peaceful morning taking photos. And why on earth would he think she's taking pictures of him, anyway? Who is he? One thing’s for sure, he’s hot, and incredibly romantic, feeding Natalie’s wounded soul.

Luke Williams just wants the world to give him a break, so seeing yet another camera aimed at his face has him ready to pounce on the beauty behind the lens. When he finds out she has no idea who he is, he's intrigued and more than a little tempted by her. Natalie has a body made for sex, a sassy mouth and Luke can’t get enough of her, but he’s not ready to tell her who he really his.

Natalie is a no nonsense girl who doesn't do well with lies and secrets. What will happen to this new relationship when she discovers what Luke’s hiding?

Alright, so now let's dig into what I thought about the book. First, we have the characters, Natalie and Luke. Luke was hot. I really liked Luke. He'd had a hard time dealing with his fame and had basically given up his acting career because of the insanity of the fans and the paparazzi. He was working instead as a producer, working behind the scenes. Natalie was a photographer who lived with her best friend and sold nature photos. She also took photos for couples in sexy positions and various stages of undress. She was also loaded because her parents had been killed and, being her dad was a rich lawyer, they left her all their money.

Okay, if there is one thing that bugs me more than billionaire heroes, it's couples who are both loaded and can spend cash without thought or concern. I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm so not loaded and I cringe whenever I see a character blowing cash on ridiculous items. Whatever the case, it made it hard for me to connect and identify with the characters. But this is subjective, so though is a problem for me, it likely won't be the case for everyone. 

Now, let's talk about Luke's sister. I despised her. She was a bitch. However, when Nat first meets his family and she goes off on the sister, that bugged me. I get it. The woman had it coming, but come on. it's the first time you're meeting his folks. Just walk away. Don't call her out. It isn't your place. It's Luke's. Or his parents or other sibling. This just got under my skin but not so much so that it made me dislike the book. I got over it. The fact that the two mend fences eventually also didn't quite gel for me. Though I could be a much less forgiving person. *shrugs*

I did like the relationship between Nat and Luke. It was sweet and way hot. And Luke was so romantic. He had a huge heart and you just knew, from the beginning, that he was so totally in complete and utter love with Natalie. It was adorable. And his birthday gift to her?! I mean come on, it doesn't get more romantic than that! 

This wouldn't be a romance without the "misunderstandings" and this book didn't disappoint. One thing I did like was that they didn't last a long time. It wasn't like half the book went by with them apart because of them. (Those kind of misunderstanding tick me off!)  On the flip-side though, Natalie, when she freaked out, she freaked out. Her reactions were a bit overly dramatic for my taste and I had a hard time taking her seriously. At least in regard to the first major misunderstanding when she finds out who he is.

As for the second, when Luke was in L.A., I gotta admit that I would have flipped the freak out too but I would have hoped to be more in control than that. I think she went a bit overboard with the way she freaked out. But by then I was used to her dramatics so I went with it. It's like when you have that one friend who just is so over the top about certain things but you still love her, ya know? That was Natalie for me.

As for the twist, I don't think the book needed it, but that's just me.  (I won't say what it is, but let's just say it was a shocker.)   I already bought the second book in the series, Fight With Me, because I really want to see what happens with Natalie's friend and hopefully we see more of Luke. *sighs* He was just delectable. The author has a lovely writing style and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Think this might be a book you want to try?  Here are the links to Barnes and Noble  and Amazon.  
[Note: When I purchased these books I got each book for $0.99 and as of the date of this post, they still are. This may change, or not. I honestly have no idea. Bottom line is, the price is more than reasonable and worth it, in my opinion.] 

*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* 

Book Review: Virgin River (Virgin River, #1) by Robyn Carr

[Note: this is being re-blogged from my Goodreads review via the blog this review feature. I tend to write most of my reviews there but I know not everyone is on Goodreads, or might miss it in the crazy, crowded update feed that is GR.  Anyways, hope you enjoy the review and happy reading!]

Virgin River by Robyn Carr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I am reading this series for a reading challenge on Goodreads. This series keeps popping up on my recs list. I also heard really good things about it for the last year so it'a about time I finally dug in. (Note: when I bought this book, the first 4 were available on Barnes and Nobles as a set for just over 7 dollars. I thought it was a good deal, so I snapped it up and am SO glad I did.)

Anyways, back to the book. The reviews and recs were right. I was not disappointed. I finished this in an evening and when I had to put it down for a conference call I was pissed. I did NOT want to stop reading. I mean, it was just getting good!!!

Don't worry, I pulled myself together, finished the call at about 1130pm (it started at 9. Longest hour and a half of my life!) and then dove back in until I finished it. The lack of sleep was well worth it.

This book has a slow, but steamy build and really showed growth of the heroine from beginning to end. It was not some quick resolution to the issue she was escaping to Virgin River to deal with. It worked itself out as the main characters got to know each other. It wasn't insta-love; instead they built a foundation and became close friends which slowly morphed into more.

I also loved the cast of secondary characters. Jack was so good with Ricky who he took care of like a son. Preacher was freakin fantastic, and Doc...what a cute old guy! Adorable! There were others I want to mention, like her friends in the next town over and Jack's Marine Corps buddies were swoon-worthy, but I'd end up going on forever. (I cannot wait to hear about Mike. He was only in the book a tiny bit but I love me a cop hero. Just sayin!)

The element of suspense was well done and plausible. We met the baddie earlier and it made sense what happened. All I can say is that the Marines taught Jack well, thank god. The only problem I did have in the book was at a pivotal part, where Mel finds out something that knocks her for a loop, she reacts in a way I did NOT like. Not at all. I was seriously mad at Mel when she did what she did and, even though unintentional, hurt Jack. I get why it happened, and I can understand it to some degree. But still...And she...ugh!!! I wanted to throttle her! I know it was shocking and you'd been through a lot. I get, WE get it. But COME ON MEL! Get a clue! IT'S JACK!!! *sighs* I had to put the book down for a few minutes and take a breath, like Jack had to do.

And like Jack, I didn't give up on Mel. (Even though I really wanted to. That's how annoyed I was.) This feeling passed when I read her apology. I knew that it was meant to be sincere and she explained herself, so like Jack I was able to forgive her too. But I think I fell so hard for Jack I was ready to beat down the biatch on his behalf. (Sorry, but no matter how much everyone talked so highly of her husband, he didn't hold a candle to Jack. His life was his work. No matter how great he was, that always came before Mel and that is not cool. Not ever.) And, well, if you haven't guess, I'm a bit protective of my heroes. *shrugs*

The steam factor was classy, tasteful and sweet. Basically it was hot but not over the top. I cannot wait to read the second book about Preacher. I might have to dig into it tonight. Yes, that is how much I want to go back to Virgin River.


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Trying To Keep Steady

This week has crawled by and I haven't touched the novel I need to finish edits on since Saturday. Work has been a bear but I hope to get to those on Friday and complete them over the weekend. I am so close to finishing this final run through. It's both exciting and nerve-wreaking at the same time but I will be happy when I can let that one go. As for my weekly goals, here is my update so far:

• Writing: I've hit about 2500 words. Only 500 more to go and this goal will be done for the week.
• Review minimum 1 book per week here or on Goodreads: Done via GR. I actually did two. The first is a romantic suspense, Under His Protection by Karen Erickson and the review can be found HERE. The second review is for Nona Raines' One Good Man. That review is HERE.  I don't give away a lot of synopsis in my reviews. Mainly because the books I've read already have a ton of reviews, so why be repetitive? So I keep it to what I thought and that's it. Unless a book blows me away and I have a lot to say about it, I keep it simple.
• Finish Syllabus for classes: Uh....well. I'm halfway there. Kind of. If I can finish this by Friday I can email it to the Center chair and upload it to Blackboard.Classes officially begin a week from today. I'm o excited though I doubt my students are! :D 
• Respond to min. of 5 blogs: I plan on making the rounds today and tomorrow to see how everyone is doing
• Respond to this blog comments: In progress
• Finish freelance writing/editing project: This is done. I submitted it to the client and am just waiting to hear if I need to make any final changes before he takes it over. 
• Workout 3 times per week: Um, this would be a big, fat fail at the moment. 0 for 3. *sighs*

So that's my update. Quick, dirty and about half way to being completed when all is said and done. I still have time to get the rest of it done. I just need to buckle down and focus! Hope everyone is having a great week and happy writing!

So Far, So Good...

Time flies when there are goals to be met and a to-do list that is a mile and a half long! I can't believe Wednesday is already here.  I've been wondering since I posted my initial goals post whether to do updates twice a week, or just on Sundays, since I am often out of the office on Wednesdays. I still am undecided at this point other than to say I will always try to post on Sunday. The Wednesday updates may end up being a bit more scattered, depending on time and whether I can get the schedule thing in blogger to work. (It never has worked. I don't know if I am doing something wrong or what but it is supremely annoying. Anyone else
have this issue?)

My edits of Finding Home are coming along, I've been working steadily on these but it's slow going as I carefully edit and re-read to make sure I don't have gaping plot holes anywhere. (I think I've checked 30 times but I'm freaked out I will miss something.) I'm considering posting the first chapter (or part of it) somewhere on my blog but I haven't fully decided yet. A sort of sneak peek if you will as I get closer to the finish line. I'm not great with letting people read what I write, but I thought maybe by putting a short snippet out there for ROWers, fellow bloggers, other blog followers, etc to read, comment, give feedback, and well, just for me to get used to the idea that people might read it, would ease me into putting my novel out there. What do you think? Good idea or no? Any thoughts you might have are appreciated!

As for the goals I set for the week I've had a really productive couple of days. Here is a quick run down:

• Writing: the goal is 3K a week. I've written 3500+ this week on various WIP(s) and I gotta say, I'm impressed with what I've come up with (and this doesn't happen often since I usually think everything I write sucks! LOL).  Anyways, I hit my goal and I'm movin' on baby! 
• Review class materials for the upcoming semester: Haven't started this yet but I did pull out my binder full of Intro to Lit lesson plans. I am going to hopefully get to this over the weekend. 
• Review one book per week (minimum) via this blog or Goodreads. I did this with a book by Lexi Blake (one of my new faves!) and my review is HERE. I read an awesome series over the weekend as well and am hoping to do a review of that on the blog when I get around to it. 
• Comment on a min. of 5 ROW80 posts:  Done!
• Reply to comments on this blog: In progress. 
• Workout 3 times this week: My friend got engaged on Sunday night. I'm in her wedding which is likely going to be the first weekend in November. I have GOT to step this up. At least now I have a motivating factor to get me to my goal! So far, I've completed one full length workout (Monday) and a shorter one Tuesday morning (to stretch out my aching muscles caused by Monday's workout.)  I'd like to get another 2 full length workouts in before the week is out. *keeps fingers crossed*

How is everyone else doing? Wishing you well and have a great rest of the week!