The Reading Spot

I forgot to tell you about a movie I watched the other day. It was Freedom Writers I loved this movie. It was interesting as a teacher and as a person. It reminded me a lot of Dangerous Minds with Michelle Pfiffer, but I think I liked this one better. I liked what she did with the students and made history come alive and relevant to them. I looked at my library and they have the book by them so I requested it so I can read it.
It is a based on true story account of a teacher named Erin Gruller who started her teaching career at a very tough high school in LA. It starts in 1994 when gang violence is extremely high and she is a first year teacher. She has very difficult classes where the students are all in one gang or another and the classrooms are just another turf to fight over. Because of a picture that is drawn in class to make fun of another student because of his race, it spurs a memory in her about the Nazis, the ultimate gang. Thus begins their journey to break down their gang lines and become a family. Awesome movie.

Strangers in Death by J. D. Robb
Technology may be different in 2060 New York, yet the city is still a place of many cultures and great divides. But as ever, some murders receive more attention than others-especially those in which the victim is a prominent businessman, found in his Park Avenue apartment, tied to the bed-and strangled-with cords of black velvet. It doesn't surprise Lieutenant Eve Dallas that Thomas Anders's scandalous death is a source of titillation and speculation to the public-and of humiliation to his family. But while people in the city are talking about it, those close to Anders aren't so anxious to do the same. With some help from her billionaire husband, Roarke, Eve's soon knocking on doors-or barging through them-to find answers. But the facts don't add up. Physical evidence suggests that the victim didn't struggle. The security breach in the apartment indicates that the killer was someone known to the family, but everyone's alibi checks out. Was this a crime of passion in a kinky game gone wrong-or a meticulously planned execution? It's up to Dallas to solve a case in which strangers may be connected in unexpected, and deadly, ways.

The latest installment in the gazillion book In Death series that I love. I enjoyed it. Not as much as some of the others but it was still good. We got to see some development between some of the secondary characters that I had been wondering about. The storyline was good. You pretty much knew who did it about a third of the way into the book but you followed Eve around to find out how and evidence to prove that this person did it. And as alway Roarke (sigh) was there to help. I love their relationship. And her thoughts about "girly" things cracks me up. Especially her horror at having to do "girly" things, makes me laugh out loud.


Spoiler (highlight to see)
This reminds me of the CSI episode that followed this same Strangers on a Train theme. And ironically enough, one of them was a stripper and the other was a well-to-do social wife.

Labels: futuristic, movies, suspense

Labels: contemporary

See here is the viscious circle about trying to catch up on posts that i am having. to truly catch up without posting 5 titles in one day. I have to stop reading or it just keeps backing up. I cannot seem to do that. I finished another book this morning. Well, in other news, my sonogram is scheduled for Tuesday, hopefully I can find out what we are having. My students at school keep pestering me about it too. My youngest is home sick with a fever. She has had it for about 4 days now. The hubby is staying home with her today because I had the job on Monday.

Perfect Ten by Janice Maynard
Love is simmering in the mystical Blue Ridge Mountains, where the Killaney cousins are concocting new elixirs in their shop, Lotions and Potions. One night, under an April full moon, the three women are in their mini-lab when an odd chemical reaction occurs. Suddenly three very handsome men show up, one for each of them. The sexual chemistry is off the charts, but are the passions for real-or are they just the work of an intoxicating aphrodisiac?

I did not like this one as much as her others. It was a pretty skinny book and it had three stories in it. The stories were nice. My complaint was more about the premise of the book. It was all supposed to revolve around this "potion" that they had created together. But the potion did not play a very big part in the three stories with the exception of the last story. The stories were nice and steamy but very short. I like some of her other books much more.

Labels: contemporary

Well, the goal this week is to purge my drafts in my posts. I have about 8 books that I have started posts for but have not finished and posted. I went to the docs on Thursday and got the hear the heartbeat again. They are making an appointment for an ultrasound for me so I can find out what I am having (if the baby cooperates). Gotta go, off to do more laundry, yuck. Hope everyone has a great week.


Kiss of Fire (Dragonfire Book 1) by Deborah Cooke
For millennia, the shape-shifting dragon warriors known as the Pyr have commanded the four elements and guarded the earth's treasures. But now the final reckoning between the Pyr, who count humans among the earth's treasures, and the Slayers, who would eradicate both humans and the Pyr who protect them, is about to begin...
When Sara Keegan decides to settle down and run her quirky aunt's New Age bookstore, she's not looking for adventure. She doesn't believe in fate or the magic of the tarot-but when she's saved from a vicious attack by a man who has the ability to turn into a fire-breathing dragon, she questions whether she's losing her mind-or about to lose her heart...
Quinn Tyrrell has long been distrustful of his fellow Pyr and a self-reliant loner. So when he feels the firestorm that signals his destined mate, he's determined to protect and possess Sara, regardless of the cost to himself. Then Sara's true destiny is revealed-and Quinn realizes he must risk everything- even Sara's love-to fulfill their entwined fates...

I will admit the reason I was so interested in reading this book initially was the cover. THe book was very good, I enjoyed it a lot.

Labels: dragons, paranormal, psychic

Extreme Danger by Shannon McKenna

Nobody's home at the millionaire's estate on remote Frakes Island. And nobody seems to be watching. Becca Cantrell dives in for an illicit midnight skinnydip--and gets hauled out by a towering, hard-muscled guy with burning dark eyes. He seems to be in charge. Good. The man is the embodiment of her most intense fantasies. And she's up for risky thrills...
Nick Ward can't tell her that he's spying on a vicious Russian crime boss. Becca could be his worst enemy: an assassin sent to kill him, a call girl sent to distract him, or the worst scenario of all--a clueless innocent. Anyway he looks at it, she's trouble: beautiful, bare, dripping-wet trouble. The kind he can't resist.
She's not scared. After one taste of his hot mouth, Becca soon discovers just how fearless she can be. She'll need it, too--because things are about to explode on Frakes Island, launching Becca and Nick into danger they could never have imagined--and a passion that could destroy them both...

I think I liked it. It was very violent, more than I am used to. If you do not mind explicit violence and explicit sex in the same book than you will probably not like this one. One thing I liked was you got to see some of the characters from the other books, all the McClouds and their wives and kids. The storyline was very good. The bad guy was one of those guys you wanted to reach into the book and strangle yourself, very selfish and repugnant. Some nice twists in the plot and some you saw coming, but a good balance. So as I am writing and thinking about it I liked it better than I thought, but it did take me a little to get into it because of the violence.

Labels: action, contemporary

Thunder Moon (Nightcreature Novel Book 8) by Lori Handeland
Practical, skeptical Grace McDaniel was not looking for romance. The Sheriff of Lake Bluff, Georgia, and the granddaughter of a Cherokee doctor, Grace's hands are full with the daily trouble of small-town life. Arriving in the wake of a freak storm is Ian Walker, a mysterious stranger who blends modern medicine and traditional Native American cures. Even though she is wary of his ideas, Grace cannot resist what his touch awakens in her. But Ian is hiding a terrifying secret. And only he knows the truth about a creature stalking the citizens of Lake Bluff. A creature who preys on the dying...and then on the young, the living, the vibrant...Now, to save her people, Grace must put her faith in Ian's haunting power and succumb to her wildest passions-before the rumble of thunder fills the air, and a relentless evil strikes again...

It took me a minute to place the characters. She was the best friend of the heroine, Claire, in Hidden Moon. This one was different in that there were no werewolves or shape-shifters, but they were dealing with a Native American bad guy/spirit. I enjoyed the book. I have read the rest of the series with the exception of Midnight Moon (which I have but have not read yet) and have enjoyed the series. This is one that I liked reading but will probably not buy. It was a good read and different with the Native American spirit bad guy, but not a keeper for me.

Labels: magic, paranormal

Marg had this on her site and I had to take the quiz and post it. Totally fits me except for the overly-critical part.

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Musician
Social Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Drama Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Labels: misc

nath tagged me :P

The rules are:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your blog entry.
5. Let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs.


1. I am addicted to books
2. Dishes are the bane of my existence. I hate doing them and will procrastinate with anything to put off doing them.
3. I love cheesy movies/tv shows. You know the ones that always get canceled. Inevitably it will be one that I am hooked on (i.e. if you you remember these:Robin Hood, Young Riders, Covington Cross, Remington Steele, Firefly). My hubby would also say cheesy books too, but i do not agree on that one.
4. I love puzzle games and word games.
5. I am in blogland usually about 5-6 times a day.
6. I love books and movies about Robin Hood

I tag zeek, marg, qb, jenster, stacy~, ames,
Update: I am also tagging my hubby because he is giving me grief about calling Firefly "cheesy"

Labels: misc

Random rant
I bought Lorelei James's new book (print version), Long Hard Ride today and got to page 33 and was abruptly shifted into Hara's Legacy by Bianca D'Arc. I like that story but it is not the one I wanted to read. I skipped ahead to see if maybe the pages were just inserted (which has happened to me before too) Which would be no big deal, you skip the pages and keep reading. But no such luck, does not come back to the story until page 96. I emailed Samhain and I will call my bookstore in the morning.
This one top of a very long day at school. I had a child make a racial slur to another child about her parents and it just made me so mad.
Well, I am going to go start another book and hopefully this one will be okay :)

PS. Chantal, Nath and Ames have started a blog together to review books and hang out. Check it out, it is called Breezing Through.



Maiden Flight (Dragon Knights Book 1) by Bianca D'Arc
War is coming for the knights, dragons and a damsel who is not quite in distress, but finds her heart's desire in the strong men of the Border Lair.
A chance meeting with a young male dragon seals the fate of one adventurous female poacher. The dragon's partner, a ruggedly handsome knight named Gareth, takes one look at the shapely poacher and decides to do a little poaching of his own. Sir Gareth not only seduces her, but falls deeply in love with the girl who is not only unafraid of dragons, but able to hear their silent speech, which is a rarity. He wants her for his mate, but mating with a knight is no simple thing. To accept a knight, a woman must also accept the dragon, the dragon's mate… and her knight too.
She is at first shocked, then enticed by the lusty life in the Lair. War is in the making and only the knights and dragons have a chance at ending it before it destroys their land and their lives. But there's nothing a knight enjoys more than a noble quest and winning the heart and trust of a maiden is the noblest quest of all.

I won this from Bianca D'Arc and enjoyed it a lot. It is the first of her Dragon Knight books, she currently has five. This one and the second one have been released in print as one volume, as have the third and fourth books. This truly is one of a series. You get the HEA but the storyline is no where near done yet. The majority if not all of the books in this series I think are menage because of the nature of the world she has set up.

Labels: dragons, fantasy

Simply Sexual by Kate Pearce
Sexual Satisfaction Ten years as a sex slave in a Turkish brothel left Lord Valentin Sokorvsky with an insatiable appetite for sex. Now the time has come for him to marry, but finding a woman who can satisfy his lustful desires proves a challenge...until he meets Sara and all he can think about is having her lie under his rock-hard body, begging him to taste and touch her... Sensual Seduction Sara Harrison knows she should be shocked and scandalized by Lord Sokorvsky's bold advances, but instead she is secretly aroused by this sensual, seductive man. For beneath her calm and composed manner is a wanton woman who longs for a man's intimate caress. She is most willing to be educated in the art of sensuality, to receive and give pleasure and to succumb to the wild desire that knows no limits

I finished this today and had to post about it. Wow, this was a really great erotic historical romance. With a lot of variations in the bedroom (and out). There was an interesting storyline in the bedroom and out of the bedroom. In the bedroom they had to deal with his trust issues from being a slave for so long and out of the bedroom someone was trying to put him out of business.

Warning for preferences. There is a menage scene and there is some man-love. Not a lot but there is a little because the hero's bf who was with in in slavery is bi and so that plays a part.

Labels: historical

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

This is what I hate about being offline for so long and not keeping track of my books. I picked up two books yesterday to start after I finished Great Scot and when I started reading them discovered that I had already read them. They were Halfway to the Grave by Jeanine Frost and The Black Sheep and the Princess by Donna Kauffman. Luckily I have the next Black Sheep book to read as well as some others, but it was disappointing. Well here is the Great Scot.


Great Scot by Donna Kauffman

Location coordinator Erin McGregor knows she’s finally found the perfect setting for her romance reality show, Your Prince Charming. The Chisholm clan stronghold in the Scottish Highlands has it all—romantic moors, windswept cliffs, misty lochs, a four-hundred-year-old castle, and possibly the most gorgeous man she’s ever laid eyes on in chieftain Dylan Chisholm. Nothing like a guy with a sexy accent and a big…turret to make a girl all wonky-kneed. Right. No time for wonky. Time to get over her fixation with the Hot Scot and get back to business. And Erin will…any minute now...

With his three youngest brothers spoken for, Dylan Chisholm is at the top of his village’s matchmaking list. Now they’ve sent some impish, forthright American lass up to tempt him into a devil’s bargain: He can let the Yanks use his castle to film their foolish romance show, and in exchange, he’ll get the money his village desperately needs. It took a tragic loss to get Dylan to embrace his heritage and his duty. He can’t turn away from such a promising offer. But keeping his thoughts off Erin McGregor is another matter. She’s everything he never wanted in a woman, and suddenly, she’s everything he craves in every way possible...

This is the final in the Chisolm Brothers stories. They are finally all married off. This was a good story for the series. I liked the choice in occupation for the heroine, it was different. You don't read about too many location scouts. I liked the story but I think I liked other brothers' stories better.

Labels: contemporary

Had a stroke of luck last week. I missed work on Thursday because my hubby had a conference he wanted me to go with him so I took off. When i got back on Friday, I heard some other teachers talking about the day before and I stopped and had them explain. Our school had been on lockdown for two hours after school got out because of a guy with a gun situation in the neighborhood. I picked a very good day to be absent. But I know that it will probably come back to bite me later.
Pregnancy is going well. I have an appointment next week. I do not know if it is a sonogram appt or not. I want to find out what I am having. I have been reading a lot this weekend and have tons to post about this week. i hope everyone is having a great week so far.

All U Can Eat by Emma Holly
Under suspicion for murder, Frankie Smith joins sexy police chief Jack West on a rollercoaster ride of an investigation. And as the twists and turns unfold, letting go of her inhibitions begins to seem like the most natural thing in the world.

This book came out a while ago but I had not had the chance to read it or buy it. I finally bought it the other day. (and actually it was only because Demon Angel was not in, which is what i originally went there for.) But I liked it very much. Much more than the last one I read by her (In the Flesh). Lot of sex but still has a good storyline. I liked it.

Labels: contemporary

Hard to Handle (SBC Fighters Book 3) by Lori Foster
After Fate deals Supreme Battle Challenge (SBC) fighter Harley Handleman a sucker punch, his uncle secretly hires a pretty lifecoach to get Harley back in the ring of life. Anastasia Kelley has actually known Harley for years, but never as well as she's going to now. Hot for his fighter's form, she has trouble keeping it professional, especially since Harley doesn't know she was hired. And when Anastasia turns the tables on him, it's as if he's been hit below the belt. But that's also where is uncontrollable lust for her burns.

I liked this book. They were a nice couple and good for each other. On a lot of these books though it seems that i am just as interested in the secondary romance as the primary. It was fun to watch Barber and Jasmine get together. Good addition to the series.

Labels: contemporary

Labels: paranormal, vampires, young adult

Labels: paranormal, shape-shifter, werewolves

Well I went to the doctor's for my follow up from my biopsy. He said that everything came back good. It is a fiborus tumor of some sort. He gave me the exact name but I do not remember it. He is planning on removing it after I have the baby and am done "using" my breast. It was funny I was in there for less than 2 minutes for me to pull up my shirt him look at the incision and say "looks good". And I paid $25 bucks for that. I could have phoned that in. But I am glad that everything "looks good". I can tell that I am pregnant because I cry at the drop of a hat sometimes now. Both of the books below made me cry at some point.



Dawn's Awakening by Lora Leigh
The runt of the lab she was created in, Dawn Daniels endured years of torture by her pride brother and the council soldiers. Finally freed from her torment, she’s now a Breed Enforcer, in control of her own life. Until she’s assigned to protect the one man destined to be her mate—and realizes it’s far too easy to lose total control… One of the Breed’s most important supporters, Seth Lawrence has spent years trying to forget Dawn, knowing that her lost innocence has made it impossible for her to get close to anyone. But suddenly neither of them can find the strength to fight the overwhelming passion between them. At least until the most brutal tormentor from Dawn’s past reappears—and threatens to destroy their newfound love, along with their lives…

Great story. Awesome addition to the series. I seem to be reading a lot of stories lately with heroines who have had horrible childhoods (Beautiful Girl, Mine to Possess, The Empath) . I am sensing a theme.


Soul Deep by Lora Leigh
Book 1 in the Coyote Breeds series. Mother Nature has a way of making the most unlikely couples 'fit'. And what could be more unlikely than a sassy, independent President's daughter who doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut and a loner Coyote Breed with a hunger for a cute rosebud mouth that he's determined to still. The vote for Breed Law is coming down the pike. Kiowa's job is to watch Amanda, the President's daughter look, but not touch. Just make sure the Goof Troop, the Secret Service detail assigned to protect her, do their job until the law is passed. But when they don't and the bad guys move in to take her out, Kiowa reluctantly slips in to the rescue, snatching her away to safety. But she isn't going to come easy and it takes more than smooth talking to make her see his point of view. For a man who's had nothing, Amanda Marion is food for the hunger that has tortured him, the reality to every dream Kiowa never dared believe in. What he feels for her is more than heat, more than love. She breathes life into his hardened heart, melting the icy chill that has protected him all his life, and touches a part of him that he thought had died his soul. And now he'll kill anyone who tries to take her away from him. But the one person he can't fight is Amanda, and when she wants to leave...

Very hot book.

Labels: Breed, paranormal

The Empath by Bonnie Vanak
THE WOLF MUST HAVE A MATE TO SURVIVE… Nicolas was the strongest and fiercest of the Draicon, until he was banished for a trumped-up crime. Now the werewolf has only one path to redemption: find the Draicon's long-lost empath, the woman who will save the pack—and Nicolas himself—from terrible danger. Maggie Sinclair is a veterinarian, dedicated to healing. She has no idea of her true nature, the magic waiting in her soul—or the man coming to claim her. The survival of their pack depends on them finding each other, on their ability to become one. But their enemies have also found Maggie, and will kill to stop her awakening to an all-consuming passion.…

I have never read her before. I will admit, I bought it for the cover and the fact that it was a shifter book. Pretty good book. Her protest were annoying on occasion but not enough for me to stop reading the book. Interesting interpretation of the different legends (Draicon, empath), unique world.

Labels: paranormal, werewolves

Well, I had about 4 other books I was supposed to post about first but this one could not wait. I bought it yesterday and finished it bright and early at work this morning.
In other news, the pregnancy is going well. Just an major case of allergies from oak pollen, so I am very stuffy and not happy. Have had not news about the biopsy. I called the doctor's office and they could not find the results so said they had not gotten them yet. I go in tomorrow for my follow up exam so should know something tomorrow.
On with the book...

Mine to Possess (Psy-Changelings Book 4) by Nalini Singh
Clay Bennett is a powerful DarkRiver sentinel, but he grew up in the slums with his human mother, never knowing his changeling father. As a young boy without the bonds of Pack, he tried to stifle his animal nature. He failed...and committed the most extreme act of violence, killing a man and losing his best friend, Talin, in the bloody aftermath. Everything good in him died the day he was told that she, too, was dead.
Talin McKade barely survived a childhood drenched in bloodshed and terror. Now a new nightmare is stalking her life--the street children she works to protect are disappearing and turning up dead. Determined to keep them safe, she unlocks the darkest secret in her heart and returns to ask the help of the strongest man she knows...
Clay lost Talin once. He will not let her go again, his hunger to possess her, a clawing need born of the leopard within. As they race to save the innocent, Clay and Talin must face the violent truths of their past...or lose everything that ever mattered.

I loved this book. It is an awesome addition to the series. It moves the series along and has some great characters. I have been wanting Clay's story for the longest time. Gotta love those silent killer types. Tally was a good match for him. My only wish is that Tally had given it up a little sooner. But I was still happy with the story. Great storyline.

If you have not read this series, you are missing out. The order of the books are Slave to Sensation, Visions of Heat, Caressed by Ice (read during internet hiatus) and this one. There is also a short story in the anthology An Enchanted Season called "Beat of Temptation" that is about when Nate and Tamlin got together. It goes a little back in history so you get to see a lot of the characters when they were teenagers.

Labels: paranormal, shape-shifter

Midnight Awakening (Midnight Breed Book 3) by Lara Adrian
With a dagger in her hand and vengeance on her mind, Darkhaven beauty Elise Chase prowls Boston’s streets in search of retribution against the Rogue vampires who took from her everything she cherished. Using an extraordinary psychic gift, she tracks her prey, well aware that the power she possesses is destroying her. She must learn to harness this gift, and for that she can turn to only one man—the deadliest of the Breed warriors, Tegan. No stranger to loss, Tegan knows Elise’s pain. He knows fury, but when he slays his enemies it is with ice in his veins. He is perfect in his self-control, until Elise seeks his aid in her personal war. An unholy alliance is forged—a bond that will link them by blood and vow—and plunge them into a tempest of danger, desire, and the darkest passions of the heart. . . .

This is the third in the series. The first is Kiss of Midnight and the second on is Kiss of Crimson. I know I read Kiss of Crimson but apparently did not post about it. It took me a little bit to get into it because I had a hard time remembering what happened in the other books. Once I got into it I enjoyed it. Good addition to the series.

Labels: paranormal, vampires