Welcome to My Nightmare....

What if you could only buy 2 books in the next 6 months? Of all the great wonderful MUST HAVE books currently out or coming out in the next 6 months your budget forces you to your absolute must reads. This is the hell I have found myself in lately. Granted, there are ways that I will be able to read a lot of the books coming out. Thank God for the library and book exchanging with friends. But to OWN, to be part of my collection to revisit again and again, to grab on release day and not surface again until it's finished. Well I've made my decision.

My 2 Absolute MUST HAVE Books from November - April

First up is Immortal Rider by Larrisa Ione.

This is book 2 in the Lords of Deliverance series. I will being rereading Eternal Rider this week before I start this one which releases today. Larrisa Ione is definetly my must have author. But I would suggest you start with Pleasure Unbound, the first book in her Demonica series. Both these series take place in the same world. Arik makes his first appearance in the Demonica series. And of course the events of Sin Undone sets off the Apocalypse.

My last book is Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward

Oh Torh! What can I say. I am so emotionally invested in this series. I will be reading this series between now and the March 27, 2012 release date. J.R. Ward posts snippets on Facebook and it's nothing short of torture. You have to read this series from the beginning. We watch our characters grow through the series. Check out J.R. Ward's website for information on her other books.

If you could only buy 2 books in the next 6 months, what are your MUST HAVES?

Man Candy Monday: The Duke of Midnight

I'm reading One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare. So Man Candy Monday is dedicated to the sexy dashing Duke of Midnight.

He makes his grand entrance in a crowded ball room at precisely the stroke of midnight. He dances 1 set that always ends in the waltz. He chooses a different available lady each night. At the end of the set, he escorts the lady to supper and disappears.

And this is the results of my midnight dance.....

 Enjoy Monday!

When You Dare by Lori Foster

When You Dare by Lori Foster is the first book in her Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series. We meet Dare who is sent on a mission to save partner and best friend Trace's sister from human traffickers. That's when he finds Molly beaten, drugged, and unconscious. What else could he do but bring her back with him? What started out as a complication to his mission turns into so much more.

I love that both Dare and Molly spend a lot of time questioning their attraction and feelings for each other. It gave a sense of reality to the situation. After everything she had been through she wondered if Dare only felt a sense of responsibility for her. Dare wondered if she would leave and return to her life after they found out who was behind her kidnapping. It was nice to see the Alpha male Dare actually have insecurities where a woman was concerned.

We get to know Molly pretty well in this book. We learn about her career, her family, her thoughts and feelings. Dare is very shady about his past. I think there is a brief mention that he was once military, and I'm not exactly sure what his job is. All we know is that he operates inside the law when possible.  The only evolution that Dare went through was from his feelings at the beginning of the book to his feelings at the end. I felt he wasn't a very well rounded character even though he was a smokin hot hero.

And other thing that bothered me was how Molly naturally fit into the lives of Dare and his personal assistant Chris. For 2 immensely private people, Molly coming into their life and home was not a problem for either of them. She was just accepted. I would have liked to see a little more conflict there especially from Chris.

Overall this was a good read: strong heroine, smokin hot hero, and suspense. I'm looking forward to reading Trace's book which is next, and was surprised that this story didn't give us even a peek into what to expect from him.


When You Dare (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor)
Lori Foster's website

I'm Sorry Nora Roberts, But It's Over.

For years, Nora Roberts was on my MUST HAVE THE PRECIOUS auto-buy list. I think I have read everything she has written since the 1980's - not that I'm old enough to have been reading in the 80's. My bookshelf contains an unbelievable number of her books and my daughter thinks she is my favorite author. Two years ago, this would have been a true statement. Then, it happened; she disappointed me. Repeatedly.

It all started with her Blood Brothers Trilogy. I loved the books and the characters, but the end of each book was just disappointing. The stories wrapped up, not with my usual satisfaction, but with a "you mean that's it?"

Then, there was Black Hills. I couldn't wait for her to write a book about the area that I live in. These hills need to be a character because they are so beautiful and special. That book made me angry. She not only left me asking if she’d ever even studied anything about the Black Hills, but the story was not very good. I didn't connect with the hero or heroine like I had hoped.

In all honesty, I was willing to admit that maybe my dislike for the book was the way she totally misrepresented the Black Hills. Perhaps, since I currently live in the Black Hills area, I was not able to have the suspension of disbelief that we usually have when we read fiction. So, I read her Bridal Quartet books. They were a fun sweet read, but they really just didn't do it for me. That's when I had to admit that Nora just doesn't have what I want any longer.

I haven't read Chasing Fire, and I have no desire to read The Next Always. It just sounds like the Bridal Quartet with a new setting. It seems like she keeps telling the same story repeatedly with different names and places, but overall the same plot.

Then, I saw that The Next Always was on a bestseller list and I wondered why. Do readers continue to buy these books because they are hoping she will impress them again or do they actually like the comfort of the same author retelling the same story?

Personally, I like books that take me away and let me dive into a different reality, with characters and places that make me love them and wish for more. Nora Roberts hasn't taken me there in a long time. So, tell me: Are you still in love with Nora or have you broken up with her like I have?

Man Candy Monday

It's Monday again. All day. So to get us through the day instead of 1 man let's try 6.

My day is looking better already. How about yours?

Free Books

What's more fun than free books? Here is a list of giveaways currently going on in the blogging world.

Smexy Books Because of You Blog tour and Giveaway  
Military coming home from war story. I'm always willing to read a sexy man in uniform.

Fiction Vixen Turning Up The Heat Tour and Giveaway: Lilli Feisty & Cara Elliot
These are authors I've never read, but they promise some smokin romance. It's also going on at Hanging with Bells so 2 chances to win. YAY!


Fiction Vixen Guest Blogger Kelly From Books and Kisses is giving away an Amazon Gift Card
Ok so she's not giving away a book, but she is giving book money!
 

As the Page Turns Stephissa Week 
This has me squeeing all week. It's Larrissa Ione, Stephanie Tyler and their alter ego Sydney Croft. This is a chance to win all of their books. Different giveaway every day.

Hanging with Bells Turning Up the Heat Blog Tour - Review & Giveaway!
Enter here and at Fiction Vixen. Double your chances to win!


Hanging with Bells Guest Post & Giveaway: Anita Clenney
Paranormal, Romance, and Highlander. Need I say more?

That's What I'm Talking About November Giveaway
2 sets with 3 books in each set. All you have to do is talk about your favorite Thanksgiving Dish. Books and food what more can you want?

ManCandy Monday

O.K. Ladies, I know we all need our hump day hotties to get us through the week, but I think we need to start our weeks with ManCandy Monday.  After searching the Twitter and blogs and no one had a post of inspiration for this Monday so I made one myself. In honor of the Navy SEAL/Elite Ops I've been reading I picked a Sexy SEAL for today.  So without further ado...Here he is....

 Let's us all put Monday to bed with some sweet dreams.

Why I Read Lora Leigh

Oh Wild Card! This is Lora Leigh at her finest. This book started my relationship with the author. And I must admit that lately that relationship hasn't been very satisfying.  But I picked up Wild Card the other day and I remember what it was that I fell in love with.
This is Lora Leigh at her finest. Noah Blake/Nathan Malone is a the sexy Alpha with a heart for just one woman. He is the reason I read romance. The plot can be some what complicated as you follow "both" of his lives. But you are so in love with him, and you feel his pain and Bella's struggle.
This book brought me  tears. I love both Nathan and Bella. The book works because you are committed to both these people. You understand why he left and couldn't return, but you mourn with the woman who loved him. You hate him for coming back and stand up and cheer when she torments him with his pickup truck.

In Lora Leigh fashion, these two smoke up the sex scenes and there are times when you need a fan, and sometimes you just have to walk away and have a cigarette. Noah Blake is one of the only heroes who can rock a beard for me. Their chemistry is intense and will leave you begging for more. This is not a book it is a full out love affair.

There is a plot of danger that surrounds the situation and Nathan gets to be badass Ex-SEAL/EliteOps warrior. As this is the first book in her Elite Ops series you also get to meet her next line up of heroes.
Reading her Navy SEAL series before this book helps as that's where Noah Blake appears and you get the background on the capture that leads him to Elite Ops. You will also see Ian and Kiera from that series.

The romance, the love story, the feelings this book evokes overshadows the plot, but you are on such an emotional roller coaster you don't mind at all. What you focus on is where these two started and how they grew. There was growth and progress and both parties had to face who the were and who they had become. You reach the highs and lows with them and cheer on the impossible happily ever after.


This is the book I pick up when I'm in need an intense Alpha hero who knows the meaning of loving someone with your soul. Go Siorai!


Wild Card (Elite Ops, Book 1)
Author's Website
Goodreads 

Simmer All Night by Geralyn Dawson

The only thing in the blurb for this book that interested me was the free download. I've never read the author, and not only had second thoughts about downloading it, but third and fourth as well. I don't have a Kindle. I have the Kindle app on my Iphone, and I have Kindle for PC. Most of my downloads are short free reads that can be easily accomplished on these 2 devices. I love books, but due to budget constraints I'm being forced to reread favorites or download free ones. Most of my short free downloads are mildly entertaining for the time that it lasts but in the end I come away with the overall opinion that I'm glad I didn't pay money for it.
I can't tell you the chain of events that led to this book, but like most everything in my life these days I will blame it on the Twitter or one of the bloggers I have gotten to know there. Some one tweeted or mentioned a free download and I took a look. Then I moved on to search other books for my wish list.
Here's the blurb:
Cherished for her "unique charm and delightful sense of humor" (Romantic Times), Geralyn Dawson brings a heart-catching pleasure to her romances that readers have come to expect. Now she cooks up a delicious new story where the taste of Texas blends with the flavor of Britain to create her most lovable characters yet.
A CHILI QUEEN IN ENGLAND
Independent daughter of socially prominent Texans, Christina Delaney stirs up scandal along with her spicy Texas Red when she's crowned Chili Queen of San Antonio. Her family reacts to this culinary coronation by packing her off to live with her grandfather on his English estate, hoping to transform Chrissy from Chili Queen to countess. Never mind the fact that what she longs for is a modest home and loving family deep in the heart of Texas.
A TEXAN WITH A CRAVING
Born British but reared Texan, Cole Morgan would do anything for the Delaney family, even escort the incorrigible Christina to England. Besides, he has his own agenda abroad: to locate the missing copy of the Republic of Texas' Declaration of Independence. But when a viscount offers Christina marriage, Cole is forced to see that the girl he grew up with is now a woman whose fiery passion -- and love -- he craves. So he sets out to win her, and in the process proves that only he can make the Chili Queen...

Now here are all the reason why I hesitated to download this book:
First, I love historical romances, usually the ones set in England. I have never read an American historical. There is nothing about the wild west yippy kye aye cowboys that appeal to me. (I live in the "Wild West" and it gets really boring.) There just doesn't seem to be enough history and tradition for me in the American West.
Second, the idea of becoming Chili Queen just struck me as utterly ridiculous and I had no idea how that could be so scandalous as to get you sent to England.
Third, in the blurb on GoodReads, there are 2 editing errors. (I have corrected them in my post) Blatant errors in books are my pet peeves and if they can't get it correct in the advertising I have little hope for enjoying the novel.

Here's why I downloaded the book:
I'm sitting at the coffee shop, when horror of horrors, I realize I have forgotten to bring a book with me. I have a couple of hours to kill, and my day isn't going very well. Without a distraction there is a chance I could kill people instead of hours. So I turn to the book that I really don't want to read. I'm desperate and people's lives are at stake. I had No idea it was a full length novel.  So here I sit at the coffee shop with only my Iphone and this book that I'm dreading and I begin reading.
Here's what happened:
This book grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon, last night and this morning doing nothing but reading this book ON MY IPHONE. There were times when my eyes strained and my head ached and I could not separate from this book. It is one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. She captured the spirit of America, the stubborn pride and rebellion that makes us at heart who we are. There was always a shenanigan that had me busting at the seems with laughter.  By chapter 3 I wanted to be the Queen of all Chili Queens.
Oh there were parts when I wanted to scream at Chrissy to quit rebelling and acting like a selfish child. It did seem as if she held her resistance to marriage just a little to tightly.  Her fights against the hero boarders on ridiculous at times. But somewhere in my heart I understood why she fought so hard against marrying the person "chosen" for her, even if he was the one perfect for her.  But through the heart ache and the tears the laughter just kept coming. The passion between Chrissy and Cole was hot and swept me up with them. Their fights, their passion, their love, frustration, laughter, I was with them for it all.
And the worse part of this book is right towards the end, you see where things are heading with her brother. Now the only thing I can do is download the next book in this series and follow Jake on his adventures in the Scottish highlands.This book isn't free and I have to read it on my phone, but I will make the sacrifice. 

Amazon
Author's Website