November reads

11/30/2012 11:17:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Well this month was my birth month and I got a Kindle gift card (so happy) so I bought

The Billionaire Bad Boys Club by Emma Holly
Double Time (Sinners Book 3 (or 5)) by Olivia Cunning
Try Me (Sole Regret book 1) by Olivia Cunning
The Regelence Rake by JL Langley

I also got Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks from the library, and I finished it in one day.  Very good read.  The heroine is deaf because of a fall three years before and is thought to be addled.  But she  is just fine mentally.  Ms Banks writes an acknowledgement at the end of the story that the character's ailment was loosely based on her husband who had gone through college without anyone knowing that he had a hearing issue because he could read lips.  So I thought that was neat.

I re-read Laid Bare by Lauren Dane and Undercover by Lauren Dane because I was wanting a Lauren Dane fix.
I also won a free e-copy of Missy Martine's Changing Their Wolfen Heritage (Wolfen Heritage Book 3). I have not read any of the others in this series but I still enjoyed it.  Abused heroine, protective shifters, menage, what is not to like :)

I was feeling an urge to re-read My Fair Captain and The Englor Affair by JL Langley (really good m/m sci-fi historical) and so I did and then realized that she had released the third book recently so I went and grabbed that one.  The Regelence Rake was a decent addition.  It is not my favorite of the series but it was good.  The series is based on two worlds that were started with a desire to live in the Regency period of England.  so the whole social structure of their worlds are based around that time period, the dress, societal rules, names of places and their manner of speaking.  But they are in a technological age to have to deal also with spaceships and computers.  I have enjoyed reading about this world.

Also got used copies of Cherished by Maya Banks and Lauren Dane, two of my favorite authors, and Tart by Lauren Dane.  Yay! :)  At this point I have read Cherished and really enjoyed both stories and now am in the middle of Tart.

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October reads

10/26/2012 06:35:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

I treated myself to a Kindle gift card this month so bought a bunch of ebooks and sailed through them


Laid Open (Brown Siblings #5) by Lauren Dane - Love this series and love her writing, she is an auto-buy for me.
Whirlpool (Forces of Nature #2) by Vivian Arend - Nice addition to the series, I look forward to reading more.
Divine Phoenix (Divine #10) by Heather Rainier - I have not read the others in the series but felt this was able to be read as a stand alone easily.  Decided to buy it after reading Judith's review at Book Binge here.
Colors of Love (Speed #2) by Jess Dee - Interesting book, was expecting a menage ending but it wasn't
Kissin' Tell (Rough Riders #13) by Lorelei James - Not my favorite in the series but it was okay.
Wicked Release (Wicked #3) by RG Alexander - seemed very disjointed.  I need to re-read it to see if it was my frame of mind or if it was the story itself.  I enjoyed the other two (the first is still my fav), I hope it was just me
Everything Nice by Mari Carr - This was the second in a duo (I have not read the first - Sugar and Spice, I was in the mood for a menage story).  I enjoyed it, Ms Carr is another author that I really enjoy her stories.  


Board Resolution (Knights of the Boardroom #1) by Joey W. Hill was a free ebook from Amazon so I grabbed that and then had to re-read the next two stories in the series that are in the Laced with Desire and Unlaced anthologies.

Archangel's Storm (Archangel Book 5) by Nalini Singh - Got it from the library until I can buy a copy.  Had been looking forward to Jason's story and was not disappointed.  She was a different heroine and I really liked her.  She is not a kickass heroine but has her own strength and inner steel from her past and has had to learn to pick her battles the hard way.

Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson - Love it, will post a longer review soon.

I read about 9 other ebooks as well.  None that were awesome enough to mention though.  Mostly freebies from Amazon.

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September reads and mini reviews

10/15/2012 06:13:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

OMG, so did not realize that i had not posted this yet.  It has been done and just sitting here (bad blogger).

Again, did not read many physical books.  I have read about 9 ebooks.  I will mention two of my favs this month were Blood Knot by Tracy Cooper-Posey and Roped by Ann Jacobs.  Both free downloads from Amazon when I got them.

These were the ones i got from the library
Gunmetal Magic (World of Kate Daniels 1) by Ilona Andrews
Back in the kate Daniels world but the main character in this story was Andrea.  The novella at the end of the book gives you Kate's perspective during Andrea's story.

Bared to You (Crossfire Book 1) by Sylvia Day
Very emotional book.  There are discussion questions in the back of the book, I thought that was interesting.  The way this book ends, it leaves room for more of them in the next books, they still have issues and have not resolved all of them which I think is kind of a nice change.  Instead of having the characters live HEA after 200 pages, I know that I will get to watch them work out more of their issues in the next book.  There are moments when I want to smack both of them but they are both coming from abusive backgrounds that leave some serious scarring and that is not going to be resolved in the two weeks that this book takes place over and I am kind of glad of that.  More realistic.

If You Can Hear Her by Shiloh Walker
This I have mixed feelings about. I thought it was well written and I liked the characters but it did not fully end and I have to run out an get the next book because they still have not gotten the bad guy.  The main couple in this book intrigued me because she is blind and i love characters who have a impairment they have grown to stand tall with and the man or woman with the depth to look past the physical (can you guess that Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale).  But this is the first in a trilogy and it is not a hardship to go get the next book, it is just driving me crazy who the bad guy is.  Ok off to the library for the next book.

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August reads

9/15/2012 06:08:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (1)

Wow, I so did not read much this month.  Lots of school meetings and getting ready and starting school, I guess that took up most of my month.  I did read about 9 ebooks but they were mostly short stories, freebies from Amazon.  But so far September is giving me more reading time.

I can only think of two paperbacks that I read in August.  Wow, gotta fix that next month.
Heart Secret (Celta series) by Robin D. Owens (still love this series and it is neat to see the new generation)
Brody (Circle of Eight Ranch book 2) by Emma Lang

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July reads

8/01/2012 07:54:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (2)

Making great use of my library this month, I read:
Deliciously Sinful by Lilli Feisty
Desired by Nicola Cornick
Hush by Cherry Adair
Afterglow by Cherry Adair
Wicked Enchantment by Anya Bast
Cruel Enchantment by Anya Bast
Kiss the Dead (Anita Blake series) by Laurell K. Hamilton
Dark Enchantment by Anya Bast
No One Left to Tell by Karen Rose
Dark Enchantment by Anya Bast
Midnight Enchantment by Anya Bast

All very good books, I enjoyed them very much and it was a nice mix.  A contemporary, historical, 3 contemporary suspense, a paranormal and then a fantasy series all in one month :)  As well as more ebooks that I post at Goodreads (easier to keep track of there).

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June Reads

7/16/2012 05:33:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Sorry this post is so late, we were on vacation the last week in June and trying to be as unplugged as we could then when we returned found out that our internet was down.  So did not get it back on until recently.  Well June was mainly about finishing school, getting ready for summer and vacation so I did not do that much reading.  And since I was also following the Digital First reading challenge, the majority of the books I read were ebook and posted on my goodreads page.  Plus digital reading is much better for traveling (and makes for much lighter baggage :)

Captivated by Lauren Dane
Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh
Chaos Burning by Lauren Dane
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
All were great books!!

Re-reads
Hot Fantasy anthology
Fantasy Anthology

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May Re-reads

5/30/2012 10:24:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

In my effort to thin out my books I am picking off my shelf the ones that I kept for re-reading purposes but have never actually re-read them.  And those that I have been keeping to read one more time before I give it to the UBS. So here is what I have pulled from the stacks this month.

Strip Search by Shelley Bradley (to UBS)
Dangerous Boys and Their Toy by Shayla Black (to UBS, mainly because of the cover)
The Winston Brothers (anthology) by Lori Foster (to UBS)
Wild by Lori Foster (to UBS)
Silent Confessions by Julie Kenner (to UBS)
On the Edge by Susan Kearney (to UBS)
Beyond the Edge by Susan Kearney (DNF the re-read) (to UBS)
To Trust a Wolf by Kate Steele
Beyond Innocence by Emma Holly (to UBS)

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Some new May reads

5/30/2012 10:24:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Angel's Flight (Archangel anthology) by Nalini Singh

Seduce Me in Dreams by Jacqueline Frank
Seduce Me in Flames by Jacqueline Frank

Forget Me Not by Elizabeth Lowell (has been on my shelf for a loooong time) Did not realized I had not read it.  I enjoyed it but it will not be a keeper for me, so it is also going to the UBS.

The Duke's Perfect Bride (Cameron Brothers Book 4) by Jennifer Ashley  Love this quartet!

Heart of Darkness by Lauren Dane For some reason, I thought I had read this so had not picked it up.  Apparently I had not, so I am glad I grabbed it.  Thought it was very cool that the De la Vega cats and the Cascadia wolves were mentioned in this series so I may hope for some crossover later, maybe :)

Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston This series is so fun, the characters are just so over the top, it is very entertaining to read!

Celebrity in Death by JD Robb Good addition to the series.  So surprised that I am still loving it after all of this time and the amount of books in it.  Usually after about the 15th book I am looking for an end to it, but this one, not so much.  :)

Besides these i have a bunch of ebooks that I keep track of at Goodreads.

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Some reads and Too many books

5/01/2012 05:35:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Fair Game (Alpha and Omega) by Patricia Briggs (A) - Great addition to the series, I LOVE her writing!!
Black Magic Woman (The Others series) by Christine Warren (DNF) - the heroine got on my nerves in the first 20 pages of the book so I put it down.  I will probably try it again, it was probably my state of mind but for now it is a DNF.

I have also been reading a slew of ebooks but I keep track of those over here at Goodreads.

Well, we are planning on moving this summer so I have to thin out my books. I do not want to pack up 6 full bookshelves worth of books.  I have already packed up two reusable bags worth of books to bring to my ubs.  These are books that I have had on my shelf for a while and keep putting off reading them in favor of another book, which is a good indication that I will probably never get to it or books that just aren't my style anymore.  I am also evaluating on the basis of my kids.  I have three little girls and they are growing quick.  You know I love my covers, but some are in no way for kids eyes so I need to get rid of those.  My oldest is now 10 and almost as tall as me, so putting them up high is not going to cut it anymore.
So my current project is to re-read a bunch of books that I have kept for years but have not re-read since I read them the first time to see if they really are keepers for me.  So I am going to have a re-reads list going in my posts until we move.

Re-reads

Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
Their One and Only by Trista Ann Michaels
Houston, We have a Problem by Erin Michaels
Jude's Law by Lori Foster

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Bookworms Rule!

4/24/2012 10:14:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Saw this on Facebook and had to share it with others :)



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Recent reads

4/06/2012 12:21:00 AM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

I have been reading a lot of ebooks lately (haunting the free Kindle books) but these are some of the paperbacks I have grabbed from the library over the last couple of months.

Whispers in the Dark (KGI Book 4) by Maya Banks
     LOVE this series!
Eternal Captive by Laura Wright
     Very good :)
Firelight by Kristen Callihan
     Great new author!  I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.
Spirit Bound by Christine Feehan
     Am enjoying this series, not sure if I like it as much as the original Sisters books though.
Heart and Swords anthology (Celta series) by Robin D. Owens
     The Celta books are always great! This anthology contains stories from all different times on (mostly)  Celta.
Never Love a Highlander (Highlander Book 3) by Maya Banks
     I never read medieval stories but I enjoy this one, maybe it is the author :)
Matthew (Circle 8 Ranch Book 1) by Emma Lang
 
Born to Darkness (Fighting Destiny Book 1) by Suzanne Brockmann

Darkness Bound (Chimney Rock Book 1) by Stella Cameron
     This one was ok, I will try the next one, to see if it gets better.
The Departed (FBI Psychicis Book 2) by Shiloh Walker
     This book comes after The Missing but can be read alone.  I enjoyed it, but I really like psychic stories :)




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Born to Darkness

3/10/2012 03:04:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (3)


Born to Darkness by Suzanne Brockmann

Dishonorably discharged, former Navy SEAL Shane Laughlin is down to his last ten bucks when he finally finds work as a test subject at the Obermeyer Institute, a little-known and believed-to-be-fringe scientific research facility. When he enters the OI compound, he is plunged into a strange world where seemingly mild-mannered scientists—including women half his size—can kick his highly skilled ass. Shane soon discovers that there are certain individuals who possess the unique ability to access untapped regions of the brain with extraordinary results—including telekinesis, super strength, and reversal of the aging process. Known as “Greater-Thans,” this rare breed is recruited by OI, where they are rigorously trained using ancient techniques to cultivate their powers and wield them responsibly. But in the depths of America’s second Great Depression, where the divide between the haves and the have-nots has grown even wider, those who are rich—and reckless—enough have a quick, seductive alternative: Destiny, a highly addictive designer drug that can make anyone a Greater-Than, with the power of eternal youth. The sinister cartel known as The Organization has begun mass-producing Destiny, and the demand is epidemic. But few realize the drug’s true danger, and fewer still know the dirty secret of Destiny’s crucial ingredient.  Michelle “Mac” Mackenzie knows the ugly truth. And as one of the Obermeyer Institute’s crack team of operatives, she’s determined to end the scourge of Destiny. But her kick-ass attitude gets knocked for a loop when she finds that one of the new test subjects is none other than Shane, the same smoldering stranger who just rocked her world in a one-night stand. Although Shane isn’t a Greater-Than like Mac, as an ex-SEAL, he’s got talents of his own. But Mac’s got powerful reasons to keep her distance from him—and reasons that are just as strong to want him close. She’s used to risking her life, but now, in the midst of the ultimate war on drugs, she must face sacrificing her heart.

This is the first book in her new series with a paranormal flair.  I have always loved her books because of their attention to detail and her characters.  This book is a great example of that.  Ms Brockmann is so good at writing multiple character story lines and sucking me into all of them.  In other books i will find myself occasionally skipping over sections to get to the character storyline that i am most interested in, but with her books i am never tempted to do that, because they all keep me interested.
This book introduces us to a cast of characters that work for/with a facility that does paranormal research and assists in taking down drug addicts that have paranormal abilities that the police cannot handle.  There is a drug that is becoming more popular and accessible that allows the user to look younger, live longer and use more of their brain at one time allowing some"paranormal" abilities.  But the downfall is instant addiction and possible insanity.  The facility is fighting against this drug and provides natural training for those who naturally use more of their brain at one time than the norm. None of this is public knowledge and most people scoff at the facility (if they have even heard of it) as being quacks.
In this near future world, most services have been privatized and those that are still available are a joke. For example, in the beginning of the book a woman goes to the police station to report her 13-year-old sister is missing.  Their response is the have her fill out an online form and pay a fee and they might get to it in a few days.  There have been major economical crashes and millions are out of work and just trying to survive.
The characters we meet in this book are the current top of the crop of people who utilize more than the norm of their brain at one time.   They are trying to find a missing young girl who was on their list of potential kids to recruit.  Someone has been kidnapping these kids and the police are too overworked to look for them.  So Bach, Mac, Diaz and others at the facility are taking on the job.  And of course, there is lots of great romance to add to the story :)
Mac meets Shane and there is instant chemistry and they are the main characters of this book but you also have a couple of other relationships in the works (including, a seeming prerequisite for her books lately, a m/m couple).
I really enjoyed this book (it is long!) and look forward to the next in the series.

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