Baby Love by Catherine Anderson
Why I read this: The back cover blurb sounded good.

Penniless, desperate and determined, Maggie Stanley grabs her small baby and runs into the snowy Idaho night, fleeing a dangerous, hurtful life. Now, in her loneliest, blackest hour, a handsome, down-and-out stranger's compassion shines forth like a torch in the darkness, offering her the warmth and comfort she has always longed for but has never known. But though tenderness lives buried deep in Rafe Kendrick's heart and though Maggie sees a soul wounded like her own in the depths of his startlingly beautiful eyes she knows she must never, ever trust any man again.

Rafe, however, is more than he seems—an enigmatic man of secrets who could give Maggie the moon and stars, had he not solemnly vowed to spend the rest of his life alone. But sometimes, without warning, love can transform a cold, pitiless world into paradise. And a man who has lost nearly everything, a woman who has forgotten how to dream, and the helpless child who needs them both can truly become that most wondrous of creations: a family.

Rafe, the hero of this book, is going into my top 10 Best Heroes list. Rich, charming, loves kids, a protector, good looking, good in bed, etc. You name, Rafe has got it.

Baby Love captivated me from the very first page. The entire time I was reading it I didn't want to put it down.

I'll admit to the fact that the book is cliche in the sense that it is a rich man with a nice family who saves the poor, single mother and loves her baby right from the get-go. The over all scenario that brought the couple together is not one that I relate to or even believe could happen this day and age, however, the way it is written makes me believe it.

Besides the villain, there is a cast of wonderful characters that I fell in love with the instant I read them.

B+ for Catherine Anderson's Baby Love.

To Wed a Highlander by Michele Sinclair
Why I read this: The first book which I reviewed here was one of my best reads of that year. I was excited and thrilled to get my hands on this next McTiernay brothers book.

To Wed a Highlander, focuses on the second McTiernay brother, Colin, who is forced to marry his brazen, impetuous sister-in-law, Makenna, in order to protect the clan of his beloved, gentle dead wife.

Pride and unfamiliar desire guides much of their initial interactions as each wrestle with unexpected and intense feelings for the other. Conor and Laurel (from The Highlander's Bride) come back in this story and add to the lively interplay plaguing the Dunstan keep as Colin and Makenna discover the joy of their hidden, unknown passions.

This has been one of those books where I dread the ending because I simply do not want the book to end. Colin is as wonderful as his brother was in the first book and Makenna is a heroine who I would love to be friends with in real life.

Colin is the typical alpha medieval highlander male who goes to great lengths to make sure his wife and clan are protected. He is big, strong and has a heart of gold.

The reason I like Makenna so much is because she started off as terrible 'lady of the keep'. She did not know how to manage the household duties of being Lairds. Growing up, she was always practicing her sword play and had no want or will to learn how to cook, clean, manage, etc. When she comes to realize how much her non-actions are effecting everyone withing the castle, she swallows her pride and asks for help.

One of the biggest conflicts in the story is that the clan does not like the new laird. Not because he is mean or uncaring, but because there is a clash of customs when it comes to highlanders VS lowlanders. The clan does not want A McTiernay to lead them, so they rebel against the new Laird.

Ah, but when when the clan is attacked who do you think they run to for help? To their Laird, of course.

My only complaint was the head hopping, however, the story was good enough to look over it most of the time. I wont pretend that it didn't bother me, though.

B+. A sweet love story mixed in with an interesting plot. It was a real treat to see Connor and Laurel come back in this story, and I look forward to the many more McTiernay brothers books to come.

Moon Awakening by Lucy Monroe
Why I read this: Nath's Re-Read Challenge of books from the keeper shelf.

When Emily Hamilton's family is ordered to send a woman to the Scottish highlands for marriage to the laird of the Sinclair, Emily volunteers in order to save her younger sister from such a fate. But at her new home, the only friend she finds is the laird's sister-especially after Emily's stubborn streak causes the laird to cancel the marriage. And though her plans have gone awry, she refuses to return home...

Lachlan Balmoral is laird of his clan-and leader of his pack. One of the most feared werewolves prowling the Highlands, he is on the march against the hated Sinclair, who have abducted a Balmoral woman. He kidnaps the sister of the Sinclair laird, planning to marry her off in revenge-but the woman he takes along with her proves to be the greater prize...

For Emily feeds a desire he has never known existed. And though Lachlan would not think of touching his enemy's betrothed, he must know how a mere woman could tame his heart so easily...

It was difficult to pick a book for this challenge. There are only 12 months in a year and I have way more than 12 books on my keeper shelf, so just picking the first book to read was a challenge on it's own.

This book was decided on because I remembered from my first read that, I was emotionally invested in the book. I knew that the author had written it in a way that made me feel like I was in the story, that I was the heroine. I wanted to feel that way again.

This is the link to my original review of this book. Reading it I notice that my reviewing style has changed over the years. I used to give away most of the story, and that does not happen anymore.

In Moon Awakening, Emily is sent to marry a Laird who she does not want, and who does not want her. While waiting for the Laird to set a wedding day, Emily becomes good friends with the Laird's sister. One day they are both kidnapped, and during their captivity, Emily falls in love with Lachlan, the Laird who has captured her.

My opinion on a few of the story issues has changed. I no longer feel annoyed that Emily was kept housed in a tower room that is normally meant for prisoners. After the first night she had the freedom to come and go and she pleased, so it's not like she was treated like a captive.

Something new that didn't bother me before but tended to make me pause this go around is the use of 'sweetest spot'. Emily's sweetest spot is her clitoris. Since I am a fan of the authors work and I have read all of her books, I've come to notice that the term is used in some of her other books. Lucy Monroe writes amazing love scenes that are super sexy, so 'sweetest spot' feels out of place for me. It would suit better with more vanilla love scense, I think.

For me, reading this book the second time made it all the better. It was a B- the first time I read it, and now it is a B+. It's not perfect, but it's damn good and it made me happy to read it a second time. I'm even thrilled to read it a 3'rd and 4'th time!

Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis
Why I read this: I won it from Book Binge!

The first in a sensational new series, Jill Shalvis introduces Cameron, Stone, and T.J. Wilder – three bad-boy heroes who effortlessly mix breathtaking adventure and scorching sex appeal.

Accountant Katie Kramer is a quintessential good girl – working hard, recycling diligently, all the while trying to ignore the feeling that she doesn’t fit in anywhere. That’s all she wants. Well, that – and amazing sex, and the kind of daredevil escapade she can look back on when she’s crunching numbers in a dusty cubicle. Which explains why she just took a job in Wishful, California, working for Wilder Adventures and Expeditions. Waking up to find a magnificently built stranger towering over her bed – that part defies explanation.

After wandering the planet for months following a life-changing accident, Cameron Wilder has come back to the only home he knows. Under other circumstances, he might be thrilled to find a gorgeous woman sleeping in his cabin, but now, while he’ll risk his body taking clients on adrenaline-drenched excursions, his heart is off limits. Still, Katie’s killer smile triggers something deep in his gut . . . among other places. Showing her how exhilarating it can be to stop balancing her life as if it was a checkbook is the biggest rush he’s ever felt – and an adventure Katie’s wishing would never end.

The first thing I should say is that I'm very glad to have been one of the winners of the giveaway contest. To tell you the truth, I really don't like the cover at all, and the back cover blurb doesn't make the book sound very interesting. So for those reasons, I'd have not purchased this book.

Do not judge a book by it's cover or back blurb.

This was good. So good. Very good!

I'm kicking myself for even thinking that I would have not read this.

Our heroine, Katie, is the classic boring, good girl. She never did anything wrong, and she never did anything adventurous. After being the lone survivor of a bridge collapse, she decides to take a look at her life, and she does not like what she sees. Boring. Plain. A simple life doing nothing exciting.
She decides to start on a quest of adventures. She doesn't know what it is exactly she will do, except that whatever it is, she wants it to be fun and exciting. What better place to start than taking a job at a place called Wilder Adventures and Expeditions.

Instant Attractions opens with Katie waking up in bed and finding one hot, sexy dude staring at her. It's the prodigal son (in a sense) who has come back after a year away wallowing in self pity.
Cam and Katie are instantly attracted to one another. Katie wants to count Cam as one of her adventures... a night of great sex.

Katie gets her night of hot sex, and so much more.

What I liked best about Instant Attraction is how Katie helps Cam. Just like Katie, Cam was also in an accident that nearly took his life. The difference between the two of them is that Katie decided that because of her near death experience she was going to do something with her life. She was going to live. Cam, on the other hand, did the opposite. He tuned out everyone who cared for him and went off on his own to do... I don't know... feel sorry for himself, I guess. With the help and love a good woman, namely Katie, Cam is brought back to the land of living.

Instant Attraction was a great read. A B read from me.
It had excitement, great sex, a hot hero, a smart heroine and an all around good story.

When is the second book out? I can't wait for it!

CONTEST

Since I was given a chance to read this wonderful book, I am passing a copy on to another lucky reader.

If you want to win a free copy of Instant Attraction all you have to do it tell me what the most adventurous thing is that you have ever done. Or if you are a homebody (like me) then tell me what kind of adventure you would like to go on.

The book will be shipped from Chapters.ca, so I can only send to addresses within Canada or the United States. (sorry!)

Free Pass by Elizabeth Scott
Why I read this: I stumbled upon the author's blog and read an excerpt that I liked. I was sold in a nanosecond. (By the way, I can't seem to find her blog anymore-and I don't mean her MySpace page. If you know the addy, please post it for me. Thanks :)

Cherisse and Wesley. Melanie and Thomas. Debra and Gordan.

These three couples have shared good times with each other as friends. But as they celebrate their seven-year anniversaries, they're planning to share some even better times - with strangers.

Vacationing in Miami, Cherisse and Wesley are up for more than sunbathing, when Wesley spies a naughty lady through his telescope and Cherisse focuses her gaze on the lifeguard. Meanwhile, Melanie passes on the hot men at her health club and chooses a private workout with an out-of-towner. When her husband accidentally walks in on them, it's anything goes. And at their rental in Greece, Debra and Gordon discover a Russian couple making love in a private show just for them. For the restless Americans it's quite a come-on - and an irresistible invitation.

I'll admit that I went into this book thinking that it would be your typical sex filled romp. Obviously I don't mind sex filled romps, which is why I bought Free Pass, but I was not expecting more than that.
I'm thrilled to say that it was so much more than 3 couple each getting it on with a stranger.

It wasn't as simple as the wives bringing up the idea of sex with someone else, then the men agreeing to it in a heart beat and then going out to find the second girl of his dreams. There were slight to major reservations, lots of talking, and jealousy.

The wives used the seven year itch as an excuse to bring up the free pass to their husbands. At first they told their men that since most cheating happens for the first time during the seventh year of marriage, they will give them a free pass to go head and get it out of their system now, in order to avoid any cheating in the future.

The men decided early on that the seven year itch thing was a weak excuse. After some talking, they got to the real route of why each wife offered the pass.
I'm glad it went that way. If avoiding some cheating that may or may not happen in the future had stayed the reason for going along with the free pass, then I would not have enjoyed this book as much as I did.

I can tell you right off the bat that if you believe that sex should always be totally monogamous and that even consenting couples should never, ever have sex with anyone other than the person they are married to, then this book is not for you.

If you like menage, but can't handle or accept an open type marriage, I say it again, this book is not for you.
The trio of couples are not in open marriages, but they do have sex with other people. Away from and with their spouses.

Free Pass in a B+. At times I felt that there was too much talking going on. I think I may even said, "hurry up and get it on," at least twice.

The best thing about Free Pass is the unexpected outcome for each couple. I liked very much how there was a twist to each situation. Not any of the couples had things happen the way they expected them to. I like being kept on my toes that way.

Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard
Why I read this: I felt like a contemporary read, and it was the first one that caught my eye when I delved into my TBR pile.

A mysterious plane crash . . . a dangerous trek through the Idaho wilderness . . . a smoldering attraction . . . and a deadly game of cat and mouse. In her latest tour de force of romantic suspense, New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard blends these elements into a gripping story that will keep readers breathless–and leave them begging for more. For in Linda Howard’s world, trust can be a weapon, a kiss can be a threat, and intimacy can be deadly.

Bailey Wingate’s scheming adult stepchildren are surprised when their father’s will leaves Bailey in control of their fortune, and war ensues. A year later, while flying from Seattle to Denver in a small plane, Bailey nearly dies herself when the engine sputters–and then fails.

Cam Justice, her sexy Texan pilot, manages to crash-land the aircraft. Stranded in the wilderness, and struggling to douse her feelings for the ruggedly handsome man by her side, Bailey begins to wonder whether this was a mere accident. Who tampered with their plane? Who’s trying to reunite Bailey and her husband in the afterlife? Cut off from the world, and with little hope of rescue, Bailey must trust her life–and heart–to Cam, as they battle the harsh elements to find a way out of the unforgiving wilds and back to civilization . . . where a killer may be waiting to finish the job.

I've now read three Linda Howard books. Cry No More, Mr. Perfect, and now, Up Close and Dangerous. I have enjoyed all of them!

I read this book in one day. It caught my attention at once and didn't let go. I was flipping pages so fast that I got a paper cut-I'm not even joking. I still have the band-aid on my finger to prove it.

What I liked about Up Close and Dangerous is that it was exciting from the get go. A plane crash, injuries and trying to survive. Wow. It was interesting to read all the detail that went into making shelters, gathering food, melting water, etc. That stuff intrigued me and there wasn't a single thing about their survival that left me asking questions about how they did this or that.

The villain of the story, the one that caused the plane to crash, was a surprise to me. I wasn't expecting the book to take that turn, so kudos to the author for keeping me on my toes.

My only complaint was the end. It felt too sudden and incomplete. I was left saying that's it?

I'll give Up Close and Dangerous a B. It was good, but not great. The ending was lacking, and I felt like there could have been more with the romance part of the story.
Other than that it was awesome. I'm happy to read another Linda Howard book ASAP.

Succubus Dreams by Richelle Mead
Why I read this: I loved the first book. I Hated the second, so I just had to see how the third would do.

Some days, a girl just can't catch a break...especially when the girl in question is Georgina Kincaid, a shape-shifting succubus who gets her energy from seducing men. First there's her relationship with gorgeous bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, which is unsatisfying on a number of levels. It's not just that they can't have sex in case Georgina inadvertently kills him (generally a turn-off for most guys). Lately, even spending time together is a challenge.Seth's obsessed with finishing his latest novel, and Georgina's under demonic orders to mentor the new (and surprisingly inept) succubus on the block. Then there are the dreams. Someone, or something, is preying on Georgina at night, draining her energy, and supplying eerie visions of her future. Georgina seeks answers from Dante, a dream interpreter with ties to the underworld, but his flirtatious charm only leaves her more confused - especially as the situation with Seth reaches crisis point. Now Georgina faces a double challenge - rein in her out-of-control love life, and go toe-to-toe with an enemy capable of wreaking serious havoc among mankind. Otherwise, Georgina, and the entire mortal world, may never sleep easy again...

In this installment of The Succubus books, Georgina has some more problems. Her relationship with Seth is on the rocks, something is sucking the life force after her every time she seduces a mortal for his life force. Instead of having that beautiful after sex glow she has after stealing some soul, she is tired, weak and doesn't look her best.

With the help of some of her Angel friends, they try to stop the being who is stealing her energy.

Georgina has really grown and come a long way from the way her character was written in the second book. I downright hated her in that book. The author seemed to veer off course from a great debut with the first book, and threw in a bunch of contradictions with the second. I am very happy to say that this third book, Succubus Dreams, is as great as the first one one--story wise.

Like other books by this author (including her Vampire Academy books) I do have a problem with her writing style. It would be nice if she could go one page without using an adverb.

Some authors (a few of my favourite actually) are SO good at weaving a great story, that they can get away with breaking basic English rules. Richelle Mead isn't there yet. This book was damn good, and I wanted to know what would happen next, so I just tried to ignore the intensifiers as much as I could.

Fans of Georgina Kincaide will love this book. I'm eager and excited for the next one, Succubus Heat, to hit stands this summer.

Succubus Dreams was a solid B for me. The plot was great, and there is one scene (okay, two scenes) where I actually had tears in my eyes. I said *oh my god* out loud, I was so shocked.

I liked it so much that the next time I am in a slump I'll be picking git up for a re-read.

If you have not started this series, then this is your chance.
The books are,
Succubus Blues
Succubus On Top
Succubus Dreams

Dark Rival by Brenda Joyce
Why I read this: It was time.

A golden man, he is called Black Royce—a battle hardened soldier of the gods. His vows are his life—until he is sent to New York City to protect a Healer from those who would use her powers for themselves. The moment Royce sees beautiful, feisty Allie Monroe, he knows she will be his only weakness—and he is right. Allie Monroe is more than an heiress. She is a Healer, willing to do anything to save victims of the evil that lurks in the city at night. But alone, she can do only so much—until destiny sends her the darkest Highlander of them all. Then evil strikes and Royce is destroyed before Allie's eyes. Now Allie will do anything to save Royce—even if it means going back in time to a dark, dangerous world to be with him. And confronting their enemies could cost not only their lives, but also their love—for all eternity.

I went into this read a little bit scared. I was very disappointed with the first book in the series. You can read why here. My reason for waiting so long to read this one directly relates to how I felt about the first book.
Brenda Joyce is a favourite author for me, so I wanted to give this series another chance. I'm glad I did. It was SO much better than the first one.

True to the series, Royce is a Master of Time. He protects people from those who commit pleasure crimes. (Bad guys who sex you up so good you die of orgasm. I am paraphrasing, of course)

Allie has powers of her own. She is a healer who can send her white light into the sick and hurt. You have a sore throat, fever or your arm is nearly cut right off? Allie is the gal you want to go to see.

What I liked about Dark Rival is that it is romantic. I wanted the couple to be together no matter the obstacle, and believe me, there were obstacles to climb.

Royce was hot, Allie was a smart, likable heroine.
Good book. Going with a B-.
Give it a go, I think you'll like it, too.

Wild Card by Lora Leigh
Why I read this: I wanted to get the horror that was Nauti Dreams out of my head. I also thought this was the most recent Tempting Seals book, but it is not. Players from the Temping Seals series are in this book, but Wild Card is in fact book one in the new Elite Ops series.

It was supposed to be simple. All Navy SEAL Nathan Malone had to
do was rescue three young girls from a Colombia drug cartel, then allow himself to be captured just long enough to draw out a government spy. That was before his mission went disastrously wrong…and before his wife, Bella, was told that Nathan was never coming home.
Bella’s mourned her husband’s death for three long years. But she has no idea he’s still alive. Forced to assume a new identity, the man Nathan was is now dead. If he can get back to his wife, can he keep the secret of who he really is…even as desire threatens to consume them? And as danger threatens to tear Bella from Nathan’s arms once more?

I'm glad I read this. After Nauti Dreams and a few other LL books lately, I was ready to give up on this author. Wild Card was a save. Whew.

Next to amnesia, hidden identity is my favourite cliche storyline, so this was a real treat.

Bella is devastated when her husband, Nathan, dies on a mission. For three years she stays hidden away, putting her life on hold. When she finds out that Nathan's shop is about to go under, she comes out of her depression and works her ass off to keep it afloat.

Another 3 years pass by, and Noah comes to town. Noah is really Nathan, but due to some major plastic surgery to repair damage done to him while he was held by enemies, he is unrecognizable.

At first, I thought that this was going to be an eye roller. Even after 6 years, and some operations, who is not going to recognize her husband as soon as she first kisses him?

Lora Leigh made it work though. She delved into the psyschy of each character and I believed it.

There is a time when Bella figures it all out, and she has a bit of fun messing with Noah. Saying things that only Nathan would get, etc.

Noah goes through a bit of a roller coaster with his emotions. He loves Bella, never stopped loving her, but for reasons explained in the book, he can't let her know who he is, and he almost feels jealous at both sides of himself. The Nathan part of him feels jealous that Bella seems to be moving on with Noah, and the Noah part of him is jealous that Bella wont totally let go of her dead husband.

Like I said, the psychological aspect of it is written very well. It was interesting.

B+. Because even though the sex scenes all started off damn good, by the last few, they were starting to get repetitive.

The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter
Why I read this: Gena Showalter is an auto buy for me, and I thought the first book in the series was great.

I expected great things for The Darkest Kiss. I thought that The Darkest Night was really good, so perhaps my expectations were just too high.

I'm not able to put my finger on what the problem was, but The Darkest Kiss was boring. Thats the only way I can put it. The first few chapters were good, and I thought for sure that it was going to be another great read from a favourite author, but unfortunately it wasn't like that. Something, I'm not sure what, just seemed to fizzle out. There was no desire for me to read on at all. I didn't care about turning the page or finding out what would happen next. I think because nothing was happening. Just a bunch of scenes of the H/H obsessing over each other, fighting and being annoying to the one another as they can be. I guess it was just dragging on too much for me to enjoy.

Th Darkest Kiss was a DNF for me.

Having said that, I still do plan to read the third installment of the series this month.



Ain't She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Why I read this: I wanted to try something by this author, and this book caught my eye first.

Loved it! A contemporary read about a small town girl who burned a lot of bridges with friends and family back home. When she came back to the town she grew up in to look for a painting, she found love with someone she hurt in the past.

The conflict was awesome, and I must say that of the two main men in the book, she did not end up with the one I thought she would end up with. You see, I only read a few lines of the back cover blurb before deciding that this sounded like a nice read.

I do have a few issues with the way she was treated though. Some of the people who were mean to her when she came back home where just follwing the leader. They had no reason to be SO bitchy to her. Even though I didn't like how they treated her, it went well with the story. I love the writing style this author has. Very nice flow. B+. I can't wait to read more from this author.



Lover Enshrined by JR Ward
Why I read this: I don't know! But I mean it when I say that this is the last one. Grrrr.

Well, the Lesser POV's are back. That sucked. I did a lot of skimming. I skimmed the Lesser stuff, of course. I also skimmed plenty of Phury's POV. For most of his scenes he was talking to a voice in his head. A voice he calls The Wizard. The Wizard shows up when Phury is high or needs to get high.

Not nearly enough time was spent on the H/H. Much of the book focused on Qhuinn and JM. I'm not surprised though. Ward even said that this book would be a stepping stone for Q and JM. The worst part though, the part that I hate the most is the dialogue. Not only is the speech more annoying that it was before, but now all the Shellans talk like that. Some of it was entertaining-I have to admit that Ward can pull off a good twist (when she isn't killing pregnant women, and turning Shellans into ghosts). There was just too much skimming, and too many wall banging moments to make this book anything other than a C-

I need to re read Dark Lover ASAP. I need to get the horrible taste of the last few books in this series out of my mouth.

Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
Published by St. Martins
Why I read this: I'm hooked on the series, and I was in need of a Ranger fix.

The Crime:

Armed robbery to the tune of nine million dollars

Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money and did the time. His family couldn't be more proud. He always was the smart one.

The Cousin:

Joe Morelli

Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi and Dom's sister Loretta are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all American family.

The Complications:

Murder, kidnapping, destruction of personal property, and acid reflux

Less than a week after Dom's release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He's getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing.

The Catastrophe:

Moonman

Morelli hires Walter "Mooner" Dunphy, stoner and "inventor" turned crime-fighter to protect his house. Morelli can't afford a lot on a cop's salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes.

The Cupcake:

Stephanie Plum

Stephanie and Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, affection and driving each other nuts. She's a bond enforcement agent with more luck than talent, and she's involved in this bank-robbery-gone-bad disaster from day one.

The Crisis:

A favor for Ranger

Security expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Stephanie that will involve night-work. Morelli has his own ideas regarding Stephanie's evening activities.

The Conclusion:

Only the fearless should read fourteen

Thrills, chills and possible incontinence may result.

I admit that I went into this book with low expectations. I try to never read reviews of books I know I will read, as I hate spoilers. Big time. I did not read reviews for Fearless Fourteen, but I did read at Dear Author that several ARC negative reviews were taken down from Amazon.

Having finished Fearless Fourteen, I skimmed a bunch of reviews, and I have to say, I disagree with many of them. Big surprise there. When do I ever agree with the majority?

IMO, Stephanie has come a long way. Even though she does minimal bounty hunting in this book, she does appear to be more confidant with herself as a aprehention agent. Compared to her clumsiness in the few first books, she is almost a new person. When any of her misfit friends tag a long on a pick up, she is very take charge and alpha in work mode.

Fearless Fourteen was not as funny as the other books. I did smile a few times, mostly because of Lula and Grandma Mazur, but I did not laugh out loud.

There were equal amounts of Joe and Ranger. I continue to be on the 'Babe' team, but the 'Cupcake' side is appealing, too.

One of my all time favourite secondary Charaters in the previous books was Mooner. He was back in Fearless Fourteen, so yay for that.

I'm going to go ahead and give this one a B-. Stephanie's character has grown, and there was a fresh spin on the old formula... No one was trying to kill Steph, but she still did stumble across some dead bodies. Her car did not get blown up, but it did get a graffiti make over. Weekly dinners at the Plum house were included in Fearless Fourteen, which is good. I enjoy Mr. Plum's heavy silence, Mrs. Plum's not so hidden drinking problem, and Gradma Mazur's naive bluntness. I just wish it had been laugh out loud funny. I don't have a single funny quote to mention in my post, like I usually do when I review this series.

My review of books 1-13

One for the money

Two for the dough

Three to get deadly

Four to score

High five

Hot six

Seven up

Hard eight

To the nines

Ten big ones

Eleven on top

Twelve sharp

Lean mean thirteen

Remember me by Sophie Kinsella
Published by Dell
Why I read this: I like amnesia story lines.

Lexi wakes up in a hospital bed after a car accident, thinking it's 2004 and she's a twenty-five-year old with crooked teeth and a disastrous love life. But, to her disbelief, she learns it's actually 2007 - she's twenty-eight, her teeth are straight, she's the boss of her department - and she's married! To a good-looking millionaire! How on earth did she land the dream life??! She can't believe her luck - especially when she sees her stunning new home. She's sure she'll have a fantastic marriage once she gets to know her husband again. He's drawn up a 'manual of our marriage', which should help. But as she learns more about her new self, chinks start to appear in the perfect life. All her old colleagues hate her. A rival is after her job. Then a dishevelled, sexy guy turns up...and lands a new bombshell. What happened to her? Will she ever remember? And what will happen if she does?

Remember Me was a cute and fast read.
Lexi wake sup from an accident having lost the last three years of her life. She is very confused but also happy, because things seem to be great.
They are not great though.
Her husband, although rich and handsome, is not someone she can connect with. Her new best friend is shallow and not at all reliable, and all her old friends can't stand to be around her.

Jon, a man who works with her husband pays special attention to Lexi, and as kind as he is, Lexi doesn't want to be a cheater or complicate her life anymore. She just wants to find herself, get her old friends back, and be happy.

I wont give it away, but Lexi does end up with a man at the end of the book. I believe I was the right choice.

The bedroom door is closed on this romance, but it was a light, quick read. I liked it. I want to read more from this author, so I'll give it a B.

The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter
Published by HQN
Why I read this: Gena is an auto buy author for me.

All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she'll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member—a man trapped in a hell of his own.

Neither can resist the instant hunger that calms their torments…and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction—and a soul-shattering test of love….

This was an interesting book.
Ashlyn is a mortal woman who has a unique talent. She can stand in any spot, and immediately be able to hear every conversation that has ever taken place there. It sounds like it would be a cool power to have, but she hates it. She hears these conversations all the time, everywhere she goes. It's driving her insane, and when she hears about some men who are said to be angels, she thinks that they can help her.

Maddox and his friends are no angels though. They are cursed warriors who must live with their own unique 'gifts'.

Once Ashlyn and Maddox come together, the attraction is without a doubt. When Maddox is near, Ashlyn no longer hears the voices around her. When Ashlyn is near, Maddox is able to control his own burden--the gift of Violence.

I liked this book. A lot. It has a great JR Ward feel to it, however, it lacks all the leather, questionable sexuality, and gang banger talk. That is a very, very good thing.

Spoiler: Please highlight text to read.
It is my opinion that all those rabid Ward fans (Hey, I like the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, too. I am able to see it's faults though) should read this book. In The Darkest Night, Ashlyn is killed. The way that Showalter worked around that, and kept it a romantic story was brilliant! For all those Warden fans who said that Ward has 'no other choice' but to turn Jane into a transparent ghost... read The Darkest Night.

I give The Darkest night a B+. Showalter was able to write a romantic love story, as well as build an intriguing world.
It's nice to see Maddox and his fellow warriors have a close relationships without wondering when they will jump into the sack together.
These Lords of the Underworld are all man, and all hetero. No question about it.

There are some unanswered questions that I hope will be answered in the next book. The Darkest Kiss is sitting right in front of me now(Yay, HQN, for shipping releases out early all the time)

Check out the website for this series. Looks like there will be many more Lords of the Underworld books in the future :)

Private Party by Jami Alden
Published by Kensington Aphrodisiac
Why I read this: I won it from TGTBTU :)

Finding her brand-new husband in flagrante delicto with another woman wasn’t part of Julie Driscoll’s plan for her lavish wedding reception. Now she’s a bride without a groom—but she’s determined to have a wedding night with someone. Her cheating husband’s gorgeous brother will do just fine. Chris Dennison is everything his brother isn’t, and his hard body is the stuff the steamiest sexual fantasies are made of…

Chris isn’t about to turn her down. After five years of dreaming about her, the chance to touch Julie’s delectably luscious body is too tempting to resist. And when she follows him to the tropical resort he’s built from the ground up, she insists hot, wet, skin-to-skin pleasure is all he wants. Now he just has to convince her that he wants more…

This was pretty good. There are not many contemporaries that I can find and enjoy, so this was a treat.

Jules finds her husband, of only a few hours, banging his assistant during their wedding reception. The only person who is on Jules' side about the whole thing in her best friend. Her family thinks she should just forgive, forget and move on with her cheating husband. Instead, Jules seeks out Chris, the step brother of her husband, and her former crush. He gives her a wedding night no new bride would ever forget.

Deciding she wants more from Chris, and wanting to get away from her family and reporters, Jules heads off to the secret hide-a-way resort that Chris owns. There she learns all the joys of sex and love.

I like Julie. She spent her whole life catering to her daddy, doing what he wanted, when he wanted it. Everyone assumed that she was just this spoiled little rich bitch who got to where she was by riding daddy's coat tails and living off of his money. We learn that it's not all true though.

Julie is tested when her father threatens to cut her off and disown if she does not go home to her husband. That was a crucial part of the story for me. I wanted Jules to stand up to all the jerk men in her life so much. I knew that if she got all weak and listened to daddy that it would ruin the book for me. She didn't though :) She grew and became a strong minded woman who proved to everyone she doesn't need daddy and she sure as heck doesn't need daddies money.

Julie rocks! B book. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Highlander Untamed by Monica McCarty

Published by Ballantine Books

Why I read this: I bought it because I liked the cover, but it sat in my TBR pile for months. I didn't decide to read it till I started seeing the positive reviews from bloggers I like.

She has a year to make him love her… Isabel MacDonald agrees to a handfast marriage with Rory MacLeod, her clan’s bitterest enemy in order to end a deadly feud. But the handfast is only a cover to gain her access to his castle—and with a little seduction, his heart. But her treacherous plans are immediately tested by the fearsome Rory, a powerful Highland chief who embodies everything she admires. Soon Isabel has found the place in the family she’s always dreamed of with the man she must betray, and her only hope of happiness is to escape her own dangerous web of lies.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer…
Rory’s duty as Chief of Clan MacLeod is clear: He’ll obey the king’s directive to handfast with the MacDonald lass—but under his own terms. As a handfast is only required for a year, at that point Rory plans to return this unwanted handfast bride to her family and forge a different marriage alliance. But his plan to keep his distance from his unwanted bride is challenged by the beautiful seductive siren who proves impossible to ignore. And when he catches her snooping and removes her to his bed to watch over her, Rory finds himself wishing that the year would never end.

Isabel and mighty Highland chief/warrior enter into a handfast (informal marriage) at the command from the king. A feud has been going on between their clans for two years, and this is a way to stop the blood shed, at least for a while.

Rory goes into the handfast with all intentions of having it last no longer than the 12 months they agreed upon. He also intends not to bed his lovely new bride.

Isabel is not excited about the handfast, but she is doing it for her family. She is supposed to make Rory fall in love with her so that he will tell her secrets, giving her clan the chance to defeat his.

Even though Isabel entered into the handfast with plans to betray him, she soon fell in love with him and his family. When she gets pressure from her uncle to betray Rory she has to decide between the man she loves and her family, who without her help will be left without protection and surely by a rival clan.

Highlander untamed is a B+ for me. It was almost an A but I noticed a few inconsistencies during the first few chapters. They were big enough to give me pause and check back a few pages, but not so big that it made a difference in the story, or even big enough for me to remember the particulars of them as I write this review.

Rory is an incredible hero. There is something about a mighty highlander falling in love that makes my knees weak. I also liked this book because it made me cry. There is a scene between Rory and Isabel that was so emotional that I had to wipe the tears from my cheeks. I felt for Isabel, I felt for Rory.

Fantastic start of a series. I can't wait to read the next book.

Whispering Rock by Robyn Carr (Book 3 in the Virgin River series)

Published by Mira

Why I read this: Once I start a good series, I must finish it :)

A decorated U.S. Marine reservist, LAPD officer Mike Valenzuela was badly wounded in the line of duty, but has found hope and healing in Virgin River. When he agrees to become the town’s first cop, he does so knowing it’s time he settled down. Twice divorced and the lover of too many women, he secretly longs for the kind of commitment and happiness his marine buddies have found – a woman who can tie up his heart forever. He finds that woman in Brie Sheridan, a Sacramento prosecutor who understands his drive to protect and serve. Virgin River becomes a safe haven for Brie after nearly losing her life at the hands of a crazed criminal. Though tough and courageous, she’s got some fears she can’t escape – but now she has someone who will shower her just what it means to trust again.
Mike will do anything to help Brie free herself from painful memories. Passionate, strong and gentle, he vows to give back to her what she’s so selflessly given him – her heart, and with it, a new beginning.

Brie is the sister of Jack, the Hero in the first book of this trilogy, Virgin River. Mike is a long time friend of Jacks.

After Brie is raped and beaten up, Mike sticks around to help out the family. He and Brie grow close, they talk on the phone every day, they meet for lunches, all the while keeping thier growing relationship a secret from Jack. It's not kept on the down low on purpose, they just don't bother talking to him about it as it's non of his business.

When he finds out that his best friend and his baby sister are dating Jacks freaks out. Mel sets him straight though.

During his courtship with Brie, Mike is trying to solve a problem. A date rape drug is making the rounds in Virgin River and teenage girls are the victims. Since the woman he loves was attacked by a rapist, Mikes desire in stopping it is personal as much as it is professional.

What I liked most about Brie and Mike's relationship is that it didn't happen over night. They had months of friendship and closeness with each other. They talked about many things, and listened to one another. When declarations of love happened I was thrilled for the two of them. They are a nice couple and they deserve happiness.

I give Whispering Rock a solid B. Robyn Carr certainly knows how to write a loving Hero and a like able Heroine.

The only problem I had with Whispering Rock, something the average reader wont even pick up on, but I did. I was a comment that Jack made to Mel...

"You have to wean David", he said. "Your body can't completely nourish two children. You'll get weak. You're already exhausted"

Okay, I understand that Jack is a caring husband, a loving father, but he isn't right. When it comes to breastfeeding, what he said to her is completely false. Very wrong.

I know this professionally and personally. I wont sit here and go on and on (although, I'm always willing to help a mother out if she needs it, so please drop me a note, I'll help out any breastfeeding mother who needs my services :)

I'll just say this-Breastfeeding while pregnant is perfectly safe. The body will nourish the pregnancy first and still have plenty left over for the nursing child. The only time I would not recommend nursing while pregnant is if there is a problem with the pregnancy, and even then there are many high risk pregnancy issues that don't call for a mother to wean. It all depends on nature of the high risk pregnancy. Exhaustion is not one of the reasons to wean.

Thats all.

This is my favorite line in Whispering Rock..

"You should never be afraid. Not while your my wife. It's my job to make sure you're never afraid."

Awww, isn't that sweet?

Something else I liked, which usually tends to bother me, were all the sub plots. There were several different sub-stories happening with various secondary characters in Whispering Rock. It worked out rather well. Robyn Carr does such a great job of making us love everyone, that I happily got emotionally involved in every thing. For the first time ever, I enjoyed all the subplots that a book had to offer.

This is an amazing series! If you haven't read it you need to do so. Right now!

Read my review of Virgin River

Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

Published by Kensington Books

Why I read this: This has been sitting in my TBR since it was first released. I figured I'd go ahead and read it now seeing as the next book in the series is out in a few days.

When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants. The wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?
But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid’s life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven’t stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess get-up complete with whip and wings. And she can’t have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy’s life. At least there’s her day job at a local bookstore—free books, all the white chocolate mochas she can drink, and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can’t. But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle’s demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won’t help because Georgina’s about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny…

What an adorable book. Totally unlike anything I expected. Succubus Blues is written in first person, and I have to say that I like that. I'm a fan of the first person.

Georgina is an immortal Succubus, who tried hard to fit into the mortal world. She is the assistant manager of a bookstore, and even though she has a small group of immortal friends, she likes to be with mortals just as much.

After falling for her favourite author, Georgina gives him mixed signals as to how far she wants thier relationship to go. She wants to be with him, may even be a little in love with him, but she can't even kiss him without draining away his life force. Yikes. Some relationship that would be.

Roman is another love interest she has. He is my favourite of the two. Georgina pushes him away as much as she can, but he is adamant about pursuing her. As much as I liked the Heroine of the story, Roman is the one who held my interest the most. I foresaw the twist about him at the end of the book, but I still love him the most.

Succubus Blues is not a romance, but it does have romantic elements it in. Since the Heroine is a Succubus you know that there is going to be sex in the book, and lordy, it is sexy indeed.

I liked Georgina, as well as all of the secondary characters. I hope to see all of them return in the next book.

Succubus Blues gets a B+ from me. Feel free to slap me on the hand for waiting so damn long before reading this awesome book.

Fairyville by Emma Holly
Published by Berkley
Why I read this: I heard there was some good man on man love happening.

Zoe Clare is a medium who has no trouble communicating with the dead-or with real live fairies, for that matter! But she can't seem to get her feelings across to her landlord-slash-manager- Magnus Monroe, Fairyville, Arizona's most eligible bachelor. She's tired of his erotic antics with every woman in town but her. So when her high school flame returns to town, Zoe is more than a little vulnerable to his charms. How Alex broke herheart is a scandal no one in Fairyville has forgotten. But even if Zoe isn't ready to forget, she's willing to forgive. The rules they're about to break will bring out the jealousy in Magnus-and the astounding truth.

Zoe is a woman who has the ability to talk to dead people. She lives in Fairyville, a town that is known for it's magic.

Alex is a Fairy, however, he does not know that he is a Fairy. He is also Zoe's old boyfriend. They have not seen each other in 15 years.

Brian is friends with Alex and has had a crush on him for years.

Magnus is a Fairy Price. He is on this side...the human side...on a magic visa. The terms of his visa is that he must sleep with a new woman on every full moon. Winning her heart, then giving it back to her.

Even though Fairies are very sexual and can stand to do it several times a day, Mangus decides to only do it when he must-once a month. He is in love with Zoe, and even though they are currently only friends, Magnus can't stand the thought of getting into a relationship with her, and then having to cheat on her every month.

Zoe has very strong feelings for Magnus, and she wants to be with him, even if it means that it will only be for one night. Magnus sends her very mixed signals. He wants her, he loves her, but he doesn't want to hurt her. None of this he is able to explain to her.

There is not only a whole lotta sex in this book,(Alex/Brian, Zoe/Magnus, Zoe/Alex, Brian/Magnus, Alex/Zoe/Brian, Zoe/Magnus..all in that order) But there is also a pretty good story-line.

Alex was ran out of town 15 years ago after he had an affair with his coach, and at the same time, cheated on Zoe. Alex has loved Zoe all these years, and thinks of her as the one who got away.
Before coming back to town Alex starts a relationship with Brian, his Private eye partner.

Alex and Brian are investigating the possible abduction of a little boy. His mother swears that the child she has now is not the same one she gave birth to. So, Alex and Brain go to where the child was born to investigate. The child happened to have been born in Alex's hometown.

No one knows this right off the bat, but Magnus is the answer to the questions that Alex and Brian have about the (possible) kidnapping.

This was a pretty good book. Emma Holly is a hit or miss with me, and I'm happy to say that this was a hit. Yummy sex, good plot. I give Fairyville a solid B.

Having said all that, this needs to be said. I don't know about the print version of this book, but this e-version I read is horrendous! The editing is the worst I have seen in any ebook I have ever read. Not a single chapter went by where I wasn't pulled out of the story because of a misplaced word or crazy spelling. If I was the author of this book I would be demanding that every place that sells this ebook pull Fairyville off the virtual shelves until someone can get in there and fix the MANY problems. Berkley publishing should be ashamed of themselves over this.

Office Slave, and Office slave 2: El exposed by JW McKenna
Published by Renaissance books
Why I read this: (book 1)I saw Holly's review, so I just had to. (book 2) Because I wanted to read more about El.

The beautiful but haughty Ellen Sanchez thought she could get away with
embezzling from Jack Sawyer, the powerful CEO of Sawyer Metalworking.
When she was caught, she said she’d do “anything” to avoid going to jail.
Anything turned out to be a new position for Ellen: Company slut. Jack began to break her down slowly, using her to win new contracts for his firm and reward employees. After months of pleasing everyone on command, Ellen began to lose her identity until she found she didn’t mind being their “Office Slave.”

Ellen works for Jack as an accountant. Ellen gets caught stealing money. I think it was over 2 hundred grand. Jack is really mad, so he confronts her and then attempts to call the police. Ellen stops him and begs him not to. She says that she will have sex with him in return for not calling the police. He says that having sex with her is not worth such a big amount of money, and she counters with telling him that she will do anything (sexually) anywhere, anytime and anyway he wants. They discuss it for a while and come up with a plan. El gets X amount of money for each blow job and act of intercourse. Money that will be tallied towards what she owes him.

El (her new slut name) gets right to work. They figure it will take around 18 months to pay off her debt. Over this 18 months El has sex with many many people. She is a total slut and is eager to please Jack, her Dom.

Since El is a slut now, a few of her co workers figure that they can just do her when they want to, but Jack steps up and lets everyone know while they may gawk and copafeel, everything else needs to be cleared with him first.

At the end of the 18 months El is told that she has now repaid all that she owes and she is free to go. El begs Jack to let her stay, and he says okay. He builds an apartment for her where she can be available to anyone who wants her.

Alright, I laughed my way through this book. It was just so unbelievable and out there. It gets an B+ for the porn factor and laughs, D for the story.

Continues the best-selling story of Jack Sawyer and his sex slave El. A disgruntled employee turns in Jack and he and El are arrested. But the case doesn't go exactly like the prosecutor expected. Read the surprising developments in this exciting sequel.

Okay, this story was pretty good. Unlike the first book, this one had romance and I like that.

Gloria, a woman who also works for Jack gets all bent out of shape when she finds out that her brother in law is one of the men that El is sleeping with. She goes to the police and totally rats on Jack and El.

Jack and El are arrested for various sexual crimes. Office Slave 2 has El figuring out why she allows herself to be dominated by Jack so easily. She also finds out that not just anyone can push her around. When someone else in a position of power tries to take advantage of her in much the same way that Jack did, she fights back.

Jack and El have a 2 year separation but in the end they end up together. Married, monogamous and trying for a baby.

B-. I'm going to look for more books from this author.

Naked in death in JD Robb
Published by Berkley

Why I read this: Holly made me.

Crime and punishment is Lieutenant Eve Dallas's business. Murder her speciality...Named by the social worker who found her when she was a mere child roaming that city's streets, Eve Dallas is a New York police detective who lives for her job. In over ten years on the force, she's seen it all - and knows her survival depends on her instincts. But she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, a charismatic Irish billionaire - and a suspect in Eve's latest murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about - except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.

Okay, Holly, you may go a head and say 'I told you so'. I did enjoy this book. I'll never doubt you again, my dear. I do have one complaint though-Now I have yet another series that I need to catch up on. How many books are there? Close to thirty, I think. For that, I will not forgive you. Like I needed to get hooked on yet another long series. Tsk tsk tsk.

Eve has been a cop for 10 years. She is on the case to find a killer who is murdering licensed companions. The killer uses a gun, weapons that have long since been outlawed, to shoot the prostitute in the head, chest and between her legs, after they have sex.

One of the suspects is Roarke. A very rich, very smug business man who quickly falls in love with Eve. After Eve rules him out as the killer, he helps her try to find the real murderer. They work rather well together.

Naked in death is a B+ from me. It didn't take long to figure out that Naked in death was not your typical contemporary read. It's actually set in the year of 2058. I was more interested in the world that the author created than I was in the actual love story. The story was fast paced and interesting. Even though I knew who the killer was all a long, it was still a good read.

I like Eve and Roarke. I like them together, but I felt that the relationship was forced. I do look forward to reading more about them in the rest of the series.