Why Buy the Cow? January's Free Reads

So, let's talk about the free reads that I knocked off of my Kindle for the month of January...

1. You Don't Need a Doctor - Julia Talbot (downloaded for free from All Romance) very short -15 pages-ish - but enjoyable for what it was which was just a glimpse into a doctor's life when a shifter comes through the emergency room doors.
2. Wrong Turn - Taylor Law (downloaded for free from All Romance) The first book in the Shenandoah Pack series, this short - around 45 or so pages - story was cute.  This was definitely a case of me wanting more from a story and I will be looking into further books in this series.  Jesse Rohan is on his way to visit a friend when he swerves to miss a white wolf sitting in the middle of the road.  His car ends up mostly off the road very close to the edge of a cliff.  While trying to get his rear wheels un-stuck from the mud, a deluge of rain and mud sweep him off the edge of the cliff.  The white wolf sees the mudslide and worried for the man who was driving the car that missed hitting him, goes to check to see if he got away safely.  Instead he finds Jesse buried in the mud...and realizes that Jesse is his mate.  There was a lot of story packed into these few pages which was both good (kept the pace quick) and bad (I felt that parts of the story could and should have been expanded upon).  
3. A Year at 32 September Way - Mary Ylisela (downloaded for free from Amazon)  I got to about the 10% mark and decided this one wasn't for me.  It was well written, I just did not care for one of the main story lines.
4. Wrecked - Elle Casey (review here)
5. Wild Mustang Man - Carol Grace  (downloaded for free from Amazon)  I just did not care for the female lead so I deleted it at the 10% mark
6. Wild Desire - Lori Brighton (review here - downloaded from Amazon)  I have to admit, I did not expect to like this one as much as I did...I used to be convinced that I would not like historical romance and then I read one, loved it, and proceeded to go on an 18 month historical romance binge.  That binge ended almost a year ago and I still find myself hesitating to pick up a historical simply due to overload.  However, I need to get past it because the past several historicals I have read, I have really enjoyed.  If I could simply stop telling myself what I will and will not like and simply read I would have a lot fewer problems!  Short story, long, I read it and I enjoyed it a lot.
7. With This Kiss - Victoria Lynne (review here - downloaded from Amazon) I loved this one!
8. Witchy, Witchy - Penelope King (downloaded for free from Amazon)  Tried this one, not my cuppa.  Deleted at the 10% mark (seems to be my magic number for deciding whether to keep or not).
9. The Witch's Dream - Victoria Danaan (downloaded from Amazon)  I started this one, saw it was a sequel, found I had the first book - My Familiar Stranger and tried it...Loved the very beginning and then found it had a weird rhythm with random info-dumps and point of view changes.  The info-dumps didn't always answer the questions that I had either...so I ended up deleting both of these books.
10. Winter's Retribution (downloaded from Amazon)  I began this one and saw that it too was the second in a series.  However, I enjoyed it enough to download a sample of the first book to try.  I haven't gotten to it yet but hope to soon.  A keeper for now...
11. Winter's Daughter -  Kathleen Creighton (downloaded from Amazon)  I liked the beginning of this book and then it began to feel like a social reform story more than a romance--not a problem but not what I was looking for.  It might have gotten better but with so many books in my Kindle queue I don't always stick around for the long haul...Deleted around the 15% mark.
12. Wrangler Butts - Red DirtWriter (downloaded from Smashwords)  Could have been a fun story about two college guys (teaching assistants?) who work together and start to fall for each other...Instead poor grammar and an intense focus on the physical made this story much less than it could have been.  Great idea, poor execution.  I deleted it around the 10% mark.
13. My First but Not My Last - Gavin E. Black (downloaded from Smashwords)  A very short read about Connor who is recovering after being dumped by his girlfriend and later picks up a hot DJ on the beach--a DJ named Jake.  Connor decides to take Jake up on his offer to go back to his place...and never regrets it.
14. Beowulf and Roxie - Marisa Chenary (downloaded from All Romance Ebooks)  I almost decided to do a full review on this one but had just enough issues with it that I decided not to.  This book was choppy in parts creating an uneven rhythm.  Roxie is out with her friend Candice, at Candice's insistence, when she gains the attention of the hot bartender.  Later she stumbles in her heels and the bartender in question, Beowulf, saves her from a fall.  Beowulf was super alpha to the point that he would just sling Roxie over his shoulder and cart her where he wanted her to go.  Roxie lacks confidence at times but at others seems to have no problems getting in someone's face even when it is not a smart action to take.  There is a shifter storyline to this book and that led to a problem I had (and a potential spoiler, you have been warned): a wolf who thinks that Roxie is his reincarnated mate turns out to be her great, great, etc. grandfather...I found that to be, well, ew.  I finished this book because it was entertaining but at times it read somewhat like a train wreck.
15. Wild Card - Moira Rogers (downloaded from Amazon)  This is the first in a series about Ginny, a rancher who values her independence but who has been given a hard time by some of the shifters in the area who have gone as far as vandalizing her fences and are beginning to scare her.  Local alpha, Jack, is interested in Ginny and very motivated in making sure those making her life miserable are shown the errors of their ways.  This was a short read but fun--very steamy.  
16. A White Cougar Christmas - Eliza Gayle (downloaded from Amazon)  A short story about Niki, a white cougar shifter, who heads into a bar looking for action--and settles on a fight which is soon interrupted by Dean who is interested in showing her some action of a different sort.
17. Wild Passion - Lori Brighton (downloaded from Amazon) The sequel to Wild Desire focusing on Colin's half sister Adelaide and a treasure hunter named James.  Really enjoyed this one.  It is a novella but tightly plotted and action packed with some great emotional scenes as well.

Woo-hoo!  Seventeen titles is a great start to 2013...I wonder what is in store for February?