Fitting In by Sylvia Violet

Fitting In by Sylvia Violet

Two cops walk into a bar.  Mason, the bartender, waits for the punch line, because no way in hell are these ridiculously hot men real cops.  They're straight out of a cop-fetish fantasy.  But he quickly learns that Jack and Gray are the real deal, and they want him in the worst way.

What starts as a night of hot, three-way sex becomes a lot more.  The two cops fulfill Mason's submissive fantasies, but they also meet a more basic need, comfort.  They want to take care of Mason, to offer him unconditional friendship, but their concern for him unnerves Mason more than even the kinkiest sex.  

To find happiness with his new partners, Mason must change his belief that love is as much a fantasy as a pair of gorgeous, handcuff-wielding cops landing in his bed.

Mason can barely keep his mind on the job when he first sees two hot cops come into the bar where he is a bartender.  Gray and Jack are partners who are questioning people about a robbery in a neighboring business--the third such robbery in this area of Durham.  Mason tries to keep his eyes on what he is doing but they insist on straying to Gray and Jack.  The more he watches the two cops who start frequenting his place of work, the more he is convinced that Gray and Jack are already a couple which only reinforces his belief that his fantasies are just that with no hope of every becoming reality.

Mason has had a bad experience with trying to be a third when a former date admitted he had a boyfriend and invited Mason along for some fun.  Mason ended up sneaking out when the two fought over how serious the boyfriend really was and Mason was stalked by one of the partners.  Mason is used to being alone now, especially since his family is convinced that being gay is just a phase he is going through and have eliminated all support both emotional and financial from Mason.  When it looks like Gray and Jack are both interested in him he is nervous due to past experiences--he really doesn't want to come between two such loving, amazing men but he can't deny how much he would love to be a part of them either.  

Mason takes a chance and goes home with Gray and Jack where he finds they meet all of his needs, even those he didn't know he possessed.  Gray's dominant tendencies and Jack's tender caring only make him fall deeper and harder for these two men.  His insecurities grow as their relationship continues to develop until Mason decides he can't take it any more and leaves them both.  At the same time, the robberies are continuing and when a cop is killed, Mason worries about what would happen if one of the men he loves died before he could tell them how he truly felt.  

Watching Mason come to terms with his fears and decide for himself the future he really wants was amazing--Sylvia Violet walked a fine line of making his fears extremely understandable without having him wallow in melancholy or veer into holding out for too long and she stayed on the right side of that line the whole time.  Mason is not the only one with issues either--Gray is getting tired of hiding what he is and who he loves but he knows that coming out doesn't only effect him and that he needs to take Jack's needs into account as well.  At best they wouldn't be able to remain partners--at worst they would have to work in separate precincts.  Watching all three of these men come together with an emphasis on communication and compromise was a beautiful thing.  You know there are still hard times and difficult choices to come for these guys after the story ends and yet I am so confident that theirs is a relationship that can weather all storms.  This is the first book in a series with at least one more book being about Jack, Gray and Mason-- I can't wait to read it!    

Reading Challenges
Authors A to Z
Contemporary Romance
ebook Reading
Men in Uniform
Reading Road Trip
Story Sprites

I purchased this book with my own funds.

Warrior's Cross by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

Warrior's Cross by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

Cameron Jacobs is an open book.  He considers himself a common waiter with normal friends, boring hobbies, harmless dogs, and nothing even resembling a secret...except a crush on a tall, dark, devastatingly handsome man who dines alone at his restaurant on Tuesday nights.  All it takes is one passionate night with Julian Cross to turn Cameron's would on its head.

Julian's love and devotion are all Cameron could have hoped for and more.  But when his ordinary life meets and clashes with Julian's extraordinary lifestyle, Cameron discovers that trust and fear can go hand in hand, and love is just a step away from danger.

Cameron is captivated by the man who sits in his section at the restaurant he works at every Tuesday, who always orders a bottle of wine and the special of the day, never talks or gets dessert, and often sports bruises, cuts and scrapes.  One evening, the man breaks his silence and Cameron is only more intrigued.  Shortly after that Cameron is inviting Julian back to his apartment and that begins a relationship between the two men.  If you can count seeing each other for 48 hours of the week as a relationship.  Cameron has questions and, at times, reservations, about Julian but always he knows that he loves him.  Julian is very clear in his love for Cameron as well, but there is always a sense of danger around Julian and what he might be doing for a living.  Eventually this causes Cameron to issue an ultimatum and Julian, to both of their regrets, leaves Cameron's life.  This part of the story was leisurely and meandering and beautiful.  I had tears in my eyes when Cam and Julian's relationship came to its heartbreaking end--I watched it teeter on a point knowing it could fall either way and when Julian turned around and walked away my heart broke right along with Cam's.  

It is at this point in the story that things really speed up.  Julian's dangerous job takes more of a leading role as a mysterious figure named Lancaster comes into play.  He is scary and clearly out to hurt Julian and it seems like he has decided to use Cameron as his instrument to deliver said pain.  There was no easy resolution to this story as bad things happened to good people and Cam's already broken heart gets completely shattered in the course of events that took this reader hurtling to the end of the book and left her trying to recover her composure before writing this review.  I'm not sure that I really believed in Cameron and Julian's relationship in the beginning, it was hard to see what was so fascinating about Cameron that would catch Julian's eye to the degree that it did...don't get me wrong, Cameron is a really sweet guy who loves his four pups and does his job as a head waiter in a prestigious restaurant to the best of his ability--I just don't know what it was about their limited interactions at the restaurant that caused Julian to become so enamored.  Once they were together, it also didn't seem as if they really got to know each other enough to stay together long term--between their limited time together and Julian's secrets it seemed that there was so much they didn't know about each other besides how compatible they were in bed together.  But...the writing was so well done, both characters were so great to know--Cameron with his honesty and Julian with his intensity that I didn't really care about believability and instead threw myself into the story, feeling Cameron and Julian's emotions in the pit of my stomach and hoping against hope that they would somehow, someway have a happy ending, even when it seemed that any such hope of that would be in vain.  

Reading Challenges
105 Challenge
Authors A to Z
Hard Core Reread
Romantic Suspense
Bookish Bingo

I purchased this book with my own funds.

Afterglow by Cherry Adair

Afterglow by Cherry Adair

A high profile celebrity wedding in Monaco in the kind of A-list event security specialist Rand Maguire excels at.  Everything goes like clockwork, until guests start inexplicably losing all their inhibitions.

Rand is no stranger to the effects of Rapture.  His chemist father's attempt at a cure for depression caused Rand's mother's death years ago, and put his father away for her murder.  Now someone is circulating Rapture in a campaign of terror, intending to manufacture and sell it on a global scale.  But with no leads, Rand feels the heat.

Sexy Lodestone agent Dakota North is sent to help Rand kick-start his search, armed only with her uncanny sixth sense.  But what they discover in their race across Europe is more far-fetching and lethal than an erotic street drug.  From a Barcelona bank heist to a million-dollar arms deal in Paris, Dakota and Rand give in to an insatiable craving for each other in nights of pure carnal delight, no senses left untouched.  No Rapture necessary.

Yikes.  This book.  At the end of of it, I wished I had abandoned it after the first couple of chapters like I originally wanted to.  I didn't for two reasons: it was one of the titles on my Official TBR Pile challenge list and it was clear that the hero had seriously wronged the heroine and I wanted to see him grovel.  I love a good grovel.  Unfortunately, I was let down.

From the beginning: Rand is the head of a security firm who is having to seriously cover his keister after members of a high profile wedding were slipped a drug causing ALL of them (priest, grandmother of the bride, EVERYBODY) to immediately start having sex with whoever was closest to them.  Dakota shows up as the help requested by Rand who is NOT happy to see her as they used to be engaged until he broke it off because he believes she was 1) cheating on him with many different men, 2)involved in the death of his mother and 3) a money hungry whore.  So, no warm fuzzy feeling for him although he does spend a lot of time rhapsidising about her red hair. 

Rand and Dakota form an uneasy alliance and Dakota uses her psychic ability to track the bad guys.  Mayhem across Europe ensues, Rand and Dakota come together and fight apart again and again until things come to a head when they visit Rand's father in an Italian prison to see if he can give them any insight into the drug they are sure is being used.  This scene is used as a catalyst to give Rand a chance to see for himself the weakness of the evidence used to frame Dakota.  More mayhem ensues until the final showdown which is completely whacked out.  The explanation as to how everything came to pass was ludicrous in its dependency upon coincidences and seemed in no way plausible.  And after sticking with all of that I never got my grovel scene.  Instead, Dakota, who had been treated abominably by the hero and his family makes excuses for Rand and assures him she understands.  Ugh!  

I have read some books by Cherry Adair that I really enjoyed but I am sad to say that this is definitely not one of them.  Ludicrous and unsatisfying--this book disappointed on many levels.

Reading Challenges
Around the World
Monthly Mix Up Mania
Official TBR Pile Extreme
Romantic Suspense

Somebody Nice! by Raine O'Tierney

Somebody Nice! by Raine O'Tierney

Danny, his (almost adopted?) daughter Melissa and their dog Bunny are a happy family.  However, Danny would be happier still if the man he is dating would allow himself to be introduced to his daughter as his boyfriend.  Milo, who works at the school Melissa attends as a librarian is painfully shy, and while he is out to his mother, he worries about letting Melissa know he is dating her father.  When Melissa asks Milo for help at school, he doesn't expect her to want to create a profile for her father on a dating website so her Danny won't be lonely.  This gives Milo the push he needs to take the step of being honest with Melissa and the four of them (can't forget Bunny!) begin spending a lot of time together...until Danny gets the opportunity to switch jobs.  He is a cop without a lot of opportunity for advancement until he is offered a job in a related unit that will require a lot of hard work.  When he begins to transition to this new job, it takes all of his time but he doesn't communicate with Milo about this or anything else.  He simply doesn't communicate with him at all and Milo is left to wonder what happened.  Melissa misses Milo and decides to take things into her own hands.  This is a free download and is an enjoyable way to spend a bit of time.  

Reading Challenges
Contemporary Romance
Authors A to Z 
Read Your Freebies
ebook Reading
New to You
What An Animal

Coming Home by Jay Northcote

Coming Home by Jay Northcote

Jago returns to his home in the wilds of Cornwall, and is looking forward to catching up with old friends after a term away at university.  When he's reunited with Will--his best mate from sixth-form college and last summer's fling--Jago's feelings for him are rekindled and impossible to ignore.

Over the short winter break, Jago can't resist taking whatever Will's offering.  But will the New Year bring new beginnings?  Or will Jago be left with more bittersweet memories and a heart that needs to heal again?

This is a short--35 pages--free read that is worth the time to download.  I quite enjoyed this sweet story in which Jago misses Will, his best friend of two years and boyfriend for three months before Will decided it would be too difficult to deal with a long distance relationship and broke things off before they both went to college.  Home on break, Jago is both looking forward to seeing Will and nervous as his feelings are still strong and he doesn't want things to be awkward with Will.  Going out with a group of friends helps somewhat but he can't keep from watching Will and wondering if Will still feels anything for him...it is at one such gathering that Jago gets his answer and it is a positive one, however the specter of going back to school after the holiday is hanging over Jago's head.  He wants more from Will, a real commitment but doesn't know if that is in the cards.  Watching these two reconnect in this short story was a treat. 

Reading Challenges
105 Challenge 
Around the World
Authors A to Z
Contemporary Romance
ebook Reading
New to You
Read Your Freebies
Bookish Bingo

I downloaded this book for free.  

A Gentleman by Any Other Name by Kasey Michaels

A Gentleman by Any Other Name by Kasey Michaels
Old enough to remember his beginning, Chance Becket has spent all of his thirty years trying to forget, hiding his unsavory youth behind a society marriage and a prestigious position with the War Office.  But now the widower must confront his past and return to the windswept coast of Romney Marsh...where the ghosts of his childhood still linger.

Newly hired governess Julia Carruthers is delighted to be in charge of Chance's young daughter and eager to escape the confines of London.  Yet the excitement of the journey to her employer's strange home is nothing compared to the attraction between them.  And when Julia sees something she should not, she wonders if Chance's sudden intentions are prompted by ungentlemanly desires or his need to protect his family's secrets.

When I first began this book I didn't think I would like it but after a bit I became certain I would love it.  Then I didn't love it anymore, until I did again.  Julia and Chance were delightful together as many of Kasey Michaels's couples are--lots of smart dialogue and both protagonists not particularly happy about their developing feelings for the other while also realizing that there would be nobody more perfect for them.  It was the plot involving smuggling that kept me from being able to consistently love the story in the beginning.  It was necessary to set up the relationship between Julia and the Becket family as well as allowing Chance to renew the ties to his family that his long absence had left tattered and frayed.  But it was serious and I wanted the story to remain light-hearted.  Luckily, I was not the one to make the decisions on how the story developed and over time I came to be as deeply invested in the smuggling story line as I was in the romance as both Julia and Chance were so deeply entrenched in the matter that it became one seamless, heart wrenchingly beautiful tale.  

Chance and Julia did not have a smooth road to their happy ever after and I found myself pleasantly surprised with how deftly Kasey Michaels wrote the part of Julia.  She was able to be sharp tongued and observant while also having to deal with 1811 restrictions towards women.  Chance could be cruel in his remarks (mostly unwittingly so) and Julia was hurt by them and yet didn't break.  The secondary characters were also very well rounded with everyone having both good and frustrating traits...which is good as this is the first in a series about eight siblings.  Too perfect characters would be cookie cutter and boring; not the Beckets all of whom are flawed and not-so-charmingly at that and yet I have no doubt that Kasey Michaels will find a way to redeem them all and make them worthy of rooting for.  I strongly enjoyed this book but am waffling on reading the rest of the series which makes for a mixed message.  This book was compelling and captivating but not an easy read for me.  I can't decide if I would want the next book to be less challenging or if I would want it to be as frustratingly and rewardingly complex as the first.  

Reading Challenges
105 Challenge
Around the World
Historical Romance
Monthly Mix Up Mania
TBR (retro read for June's criteria)
TBR Pile
TBR Reduction Extreme
Bookish Bingo
Story Sprites

I purchased this book with my own funds.

Gift of Gold by Jayne and Krentz

Gift of Gold by Jayne Ann Krentz

Being a tough taskmaster and a great cook made Verity Ames a success with her Colorado restaurant.  And her new employee, Jonas Quarrel, followed her orders to a "T" during the working hours.  It was when the day was done that his lazy smile and bedroom eyes threatened to make him the boss who could turn her from a she-cat into a kitten.  So hot-tempered Verity taunted him that she would never surrender to a drifter like Jonas, who left a prestigious career as a Renaissance scholar to roam the world.  But Jonas suspected the lady protesteth too much.  His plan was to tame the shrew by seducing her; crumbling her defenses with nibbles, bites, and kisses; melting her resistance with his fiery passion; and making his love seem like heaven until his hellish past caught up with him.  For Jonas had not arrived at Verity's kitchen by accident.  She was the key to a chilling secret that had nearly destroyed him.  And now he needed to woo her and win her -- even if he endangered both of their lives and broke her heart!

Jonas first saw Verity when she was fleeing from a would-be attacker in a back alley in Mexico.  He had followed to assist her if necessary and discovered that his mystery lady had lost an earring in her flight for safety.  He picked it up and felt something--a knowledge that she would be important to him.  A few months later he has finally tracked Verity down to Sequence Springs where Verity runs a vegetarian restaurant that catered to locals and visitors of a nearby health spa.  Jonas responds to Verity's want ad and is hired as waiter, dishwasher and handyman.  

Verity is drawn to Jonas and a romantic relationship is developing between them.  It is during this time that Verity learns of Jonas's psychometric talent--when Jonas handles antique weapons and artifacts, particularly from the Renaissance period, he is drawn into the past and experiences what the owners experienced.  Unfortunately, the more violent the memory the harder it is for Jonas to remove himself and return to the present.  It was due to this ability that he had left his roots in historical studies behind and become a drifter.  

Verity and Jonas are soon drawn into an intrigue involving an eccentric, and reclusive, artist who has plans of revenge in mind.  Unknown to Verity and Jonas they will be playing starring roles in an intricate plot she is planning to take down a figure from her past who had changed her life forever.  Verity and Jonas will have to put their complete trust in each other and in Jonas's abilities in order to make it out unscathed.  The fact that Verity is able to help Jonas maintain control over his abilities further muddies the waters as Verity cannot be sure why Jonas is with her--is it only for the help she can give him or does he have deeper feelings for her?  With all of the danger and intrigue surrounding them, this doubt could prove to be very dangerous for all involved.  

This 1988 paranormal romance by Jayne Ann Krentz features the quick witted dialogue and independent female lead that JAK is well know for.  Jonas is a wonderful male lead who strikes a delicate balance between "taming" Verity's sharper edges while also enjoying the "little tyrant" aspects of Verity's personality.  These two really do prove that sometimes the whole is greater than the parts.

Reading Challenges
Genre Decades 
105 Challenge
Color Coded
What's In a Name
Hard Core Re-read

I purchased this book with my own funds.

A Woman's Touch by Jayne Ann Krentz

A Woman's Touch by Jayne Ann Krentz

When Rebecca Wade inherited the land her boss, Kyle Stockbridge, considered his--land that was the object of a centuries old feud--she absolutely refused to sell out.  Especially after Kyle almost had her believing he loved her.

Rebecca knew she was facing a modern-day gunfighter, a throwback to the lawless time when men made their own rules in the Colorado wilderness.  And despite Kyle's claim that their relationship was independent of the issue between them, she knew that selling the land wouldn't solve all of their problems.  For that to happen, Kyle would have to prove his love.  

Rebecca enjoys her job as executive assistant to Kyle Stockbridge; he is known as having a bit of a temper but Rebecca hasn't seen a lot of evidence to back that up.  Sure he is impatient and tends to micromanage but with her help he has been improving, much to the relief of his other employees.  When Becky's feelings begin to develop into something deeper than admiration for her boss, she worries.  She has never had an office romance and doesn't want to start now.  Unfortunately, Kyle isn't going to take no for an answer and talks Becky into a relationship and then into moving in with him.

This arrangement doesn't last long as Becky finds out why Kyle has been so interested in her...a piece of land that his family has wanted for generations has just been willed to Becky.  She leaves to view her inheritance with Kyle following her to Colorado to try to convince Becky to both give him the land and to continue their relationship.  Becky also meets the other man who has been involved in the feud over the land and determines that it is time for the feud to stop.

Watching Becky take charge of two headstrong men who are feuding mostly (it seems) because it is what is expected of them is a lot of fun.  At no time is the reader unaware that if put to the test Kyle would pick Becky hands down over the land, but Becky isn't as convinced of that as I was.  However, at no point did she veer into TSTL or weak-willed woman territory.  She always acted with her head held high, and while she was hurt a few times emotionally, she never played dirty or resorted to revenge for revenge's sake.   She always acted with EVERYONE's best interests at heart.  A real class act who wasn't afraid to confront the dragon (as Kyle was sometimes known) in his own lair.

I laughed out loud a few times during this story which is always a good sign.  I would recommend this 1989 classic from Jayne Ann Krentz...it shows why she has enjoyed such longevity in the romance writing industry!  

Reading Challenges
105 Challenge
Contemporary Romance
Genre Decades
Bookish Bingo

I purchased this book with own funds.

Man With a Past by Jayne Ann Krentz

Man With a Past by Jayne Ann Krentz

Cole Stockton had a will of steel and a raw determination to go after what he wanted -- including Kelsey Murdock.  He'd invaded her life, assaulting her with his sensuality, tempting her to be reckless.

She sensed something dangerous about the man -- in the secrets he refused to share, the past that still haunted him, the coiled tension that denied intimacy.  For Cole, the past was a closed door.  For Kelsey, that meant too many questions and no answers -- the best reason to walk away, before it was too late.  

But when a simple business trip turns into a dangerous survival game, she is plunged into a world Cole knows all too well.  Now Kelsey must trust that he knows it well enough to keep them both alive.

Kelsey spends much of this book banging her head against Cole's metaphorical walls that he has placed all around his past and worrying that she will be locked in by the literal walls he has surrounding his house in Carmel.  Kelsey can't understand how they can have a future without Cole opening up about his past and Cole doesn't understand why Kelsey isn't happy to live in the present.  

A cruise seems to be a great way to spend time with Kelsey away from the normal stresses of their lives.  When a quick side trip to deliver some papers for Kelsey's company turns violent, Cole can't hide his past anymore.  It is at this point that Kelsey decides she doesn't need to know about it any more and that she will be happy to live in the present.  Cole decides to worry about her insistence to not talk about the future.  Watching these two figure out how to want the same things at the same time was a great way to spend a couple of hours.  

Reading Challenges
Contemporary Romance
Genre Decades
Literary Pickers

Whirlwind Courtship by Jayne Taylor

Whirlwind Courtship by Jayne Taylor

When Phoebe Hampton arrived quite by accident at the doorstep of Harlan Garand's mountain cabin, he was less than pleased.  Convinced that she was another marriage-minded female sent by his matchmaking aunt, Harlan would have gladly thrown her out.  But Phoebe was a damsel in distress, and an attractive one at that, so against Harlan's better judgment he let her stay -- even though she wished she were a hundred miles away!

Grudging host and grudging guest would just have to put up with each other for a few days.  After that, they'd never see each other again -- or would they?

Phoebe's rented car broke down on the side of the road and she gladly accepted a ride from a couple of nice farm boys who turned out to be not so nice.  First chance she got, she escaped into the woods.  After following a stream all night long, Phoebe stumbles, exhausted, onto Harlan Garand's cabin.  Unfortunately, Harlan isn't buying Phoebe's story about how she arrived on his doorstep and Phoebe, too tired to argue goes along with Harlan's accusations so she has a place to stay.  She knows the two guys who kidnapped her are out there and she can't be sure they won't come after her--Harlan seems like the best bet to get back home to Portland, even if she has to wait a few days until his relaxing weekend vacation is over.

Harlan eventually realizes his mistake and manfully eats his helping of crow.  He and Phoebe head back to Portland and that is where the real fireworks start as Harlan has decided that he wants to keep Phoebe and Phoebe is not at all sure she wants to let Harlan go but she does wish he were much less high-handed in his attempts to convince her to marry him.  Add in the aforementioned aunt, exes from both sides, an overprotective brother and you have all the ingredients to a really fun romp of a story.  This book is from 1980 and is one of Jayne Ann Krentz's (writing as Jayne Taylor) earliest works and it is a fantastic example of her ability to take conventional plot points and turn them on their head.  It is books such as this one that remind me why I am such a fan of JAK and the romance genre as a whole.  

Reading Challenges
Contemporary Romance
Genre Decades Challenge
Bookish Bingo 

I purchased this book with my own funds.

Affair of Risk by Jayne Castle

Affair of Risk by Jayne Castle

A strange flash of elemental recognition arced between them.  The shock was staggering.  Kendra Loring gasped as she met the full force of Case Garrett's night-dark gaze.  Yet they had never met!

And once she finished her business, she promised herself, they would never meet again.  Danger and darkness lurked just beneath the glittering surface of the elegant Lake Tahoe casino.  Kendra had sworn that no man would ever take advantage of her again.  If she let herself go, if she fell under his mesmerizing spell for just one minute, the stakes would be impossibly high, and she would be gambling far more than she could afford to lose.

Kendra is in Lake Tahoe to pay a portion of the debt owed by her cousin to casino owner Case.  She wants to get in and get out, but Case is intrigued by the mystery that seems to surround Kendra.  He wants to know all about her and she simply wants to get back to San Francisco.  When a shady man confronts Kendra later at her hotel she finds herself in a tricky situation.  Who should show up to help her sort things out?  Case.  From there Kendra finds herself being pulled further and further into Case's life regardless of how uncomfortable it makes her.  Kendra is determined to keep her past private and to protect her cousin who is caught up in a messy divorce situation.  Case, who is not content to be brushed off, keeps showing up and making Kendra's life both easier and more complicated.  This book was published in 1982 and its age shows in some of Case's comments and actions but overall I found this to be an enjoyable read.  

Reading Challenges
Contemporary Romance
Genre Decades
Monthly Mix Up Mania
Monthly Motif
Reading Road Trip

I purchased this book with my own funds.

The Main Attraction by Jayne Ann Krentz

The Main Attraction by Jayne Ann Krentz

Filomena Cromwell's return home after ten years set small, sleepy Gallant Lake on its ear.  Gorgeous, successful and driving a flashy Porsche, she was no longer the mousy girl who'd once found her fiance in bed with another woman.  And Fil was determined to show the town just how irrepressible she'd become!
Trent Ravinder, a guest at the Cromwell family lodge, observed Fil's escapades with amusement.  In her quieter moments he knew she was warm, sincere and loving.  He'd let her have her day, as long as she reserved the nights for him...

Nine years ago, Filomena left Gallant Lake humiliated at finding her finace in bed with her high school nemisis and tormenter.  Since then she has come into her own as part owner of a successful design firm that specializes in women's wear for petite figures.  Fil is back in Gallant Cove for her sister's wedding and is enjoying everyone's reactions to her confidence and outgoing fun.  She has arranged several fun events for the local women and is having a ball showing everyone that she has not spent the past nine years pining over the jerk who did her wrong.

Fil is having so much fun that her family is worried about her taking things too far and once again becoming the target of unfriendly speculation.  They are relieved when vacationer Trent Ravinder takes an interest in Filomena as the family believes that he might be able to keep a rein on Fil's wilder ideas.  Filomena reacts with humorous good nature to their ploys and finds herself both liking Trent and worrying that he might not be so easily led as many of the casual friends she has back in Seattle. 

Things slowly get more serious for Trent and Fil and watching them come together was a pleasure.  Trent takes great pride in standing behind his word once it's given and Filomena is proud of what she has accomplished but also loves her family and friends with a fierce loyalty.  All is well until a situation arises in which Trent doubts Filomena's intentions and asks her to prove her love and loyalty to him.  Filomena is incensed that Trent demands trust but is unwilling to give it to her.  Both find themselves holding out for the other to apologize with neither being particularly happy with their current circumstances.  I will admit I was pretty solidly on Filomena's side as Trent's reasoning was weak and at times borderline insulting towards Filomena, however, I was happy with how everything was resolved.  Filomena and Trent are a couple that I think it would be fun to revisit as they both had strong personalities that completely complemented each other in the best of ways.  

Reading Challenges
Genre Decades
Contemporary Romance
Monthly Mix Up Mania
Reading Road Trip
Bookish Bingo

I purchased this book with my own funds.

Bargain With the Devil by Jayne Castle

Bargain With the Devil by Jayne Castle
Every line of his face, from the deep-set eyes to the arrogant nose and harshly carved cheekbones, declared that this was a man who lived by his own rules.  He hadn't come to Tuscon for his health.  Hunter Manning wanted revenge. 

Stacy Rylan looked into the eyes of the man who meant to ruin her father.  She made a bargain--agreed to marry him if he would stop his threats.  With a coolly possessive air that defied protest, his hands settled on her small waist and moved slowly upward.  How could she go through with it?  She despised him.  His touch made her tremble with outrage--and desire!

This Candlelight Ecstasy Romance written by Jayne Castle (Jayne Ann Krentz) in 1981 shows its age in some places with the interactions and comments between the male and female characters.  Hunter has waited fourteen years to get revenge on the man who took over his father's business, and apparently, his father's reason to live.  He remembers going in and begging Mr. Rylan not to fire his father but was rejected and his father died a year later. Now, Hunter has a plan to bring the Rylan patriarch to his knees and he's going to enjoy every minute of it.  The plan includes seducing Rylan's daughter-in-law, wife to the newly appointed company president.  

Stacy sees the beginning salvo in Hunter's plan to turn Leanna's head and knows she must do something to protect her family.  She offers herself up instead knowing that her father has pretty much given up on her ever doing what he wants her to do, and therefore mitigating the possible consequences of Hunter's revenge.  Hunter accepts Stacy's plan with some terms of his own, an affair won't be enough--he wants marriage and for Stacy to become a Manning with all of her loyalty belonging Hunter.

While the overall premise was rather ridiculous, I still enjoyed many of the interactions between Stacy and Hunter (although not necessarily the one where he quasi-manhandles her on a public street believing she has just eaten lunch with ex-boyfriend--although it was fun to see him grovel when he realizes he is wrong).  Stacy was a smart, independent woman who truly cared for her family and Hunter, while 80's style macho and butch, was rather sweet at times such as moving all of Stacy's plants to their new home or putting together her greenhouse when it was in a hopeless pile of pieces with indecipherable directions.  Not my favorite JAK title but still a worthwhile read.

Reading Challenges
Genre Decades

I purchased this book with my own funds.

What I Read, July 11-17

What I Read, July 11-17

1. Once More With Feeling by Nora Roberts
2. A Gentleman by Any Other Name by Kasey Michaels
3. Running Wild by Linda Howard and Linda Jones
4. Heart of a Killer by Jaci Burton
5. Little Miss Innocent? by Lori Foster
6. Bargain With the Devil by Jayne Castle
7. The Main Attraction by Jayne Ann Krentz
8. Affair of Risk by Jayne Castle
9. Whirlwind Courtship by Jayne Taylor
10. Man With a Past by Jayne Ann Krentz
11. A Woman's Touch by Jayne Ann Krentz
12. Gift of Fire by Jayne Ann Krentz
13. A to Z by Marie Sexton
14. Coming Home by Jay Northcote
15. Somebody Nice! by Raine O'Tierney
16. Afterglow by Cherry Adair
17. Warrior's Cross by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux
18. Fitting In by Sylvia Violet
19. Against the Wall by Rebecca Zanetti
20. House Calls by Abbie Zanders
21. Disarming Detective by Elizabeth Heiter
22. The Souls Hollow by Paula Graves
23. Under the Covers by Rebecca Zanetti
24. Pay the Piper by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple

Little Miss Innocent? by Lori Foster

Little Miss Innocent? by Lori Foster
For Dr. Daniel Sawyers, sex therapist Lace McGee is a puzzle.  While she keeps putting inappropriate ideas into his sister's head, Lace is even better at putting naughty thoughts into Daniel's head.  But just how down 'n dirty is Lace really?

Daniel Sawyers is not thrilled with his sister's friendship with Lace, as he finds her too feminine, too noticeable, too lush, too distracting, you get the idea.  He is sure that her job makes her someone he doesn't want around his sister and he makes his disdain for her pretty clear.  Lace goes out of her way to needle Daniel knowing very well what he believes about her.  It isn't until Lace comes into Daniel's ER with a dog bite that they start to spend time together, breaking down their misconceptions slowly but surely.  This story is a pretty quick one  but there was one major issue that I just couldn't get over: Lori Foster chose to make Lace a virgin.  This bothered me because Daniel has a rather major hang-up about her work as a sex therapist--he often made assumptions about who she was and they were not positive.  Rather than have him come to the realization that he was mired in double standards and that part of what makes Lace so wonderful is her full acceptance of herself as a person, sexuality included, Lori Foster chose to have him come to the realization that he was wrong only because Lace was innocent all along.  What if Lace hadn't been a virgin?  Would Daniel have felt vindicated in his beliefs?  Would he still have changed his mind about her work?  Would he have fallen in love with her or would she have become another short term relationship?  I felt that Daniel needed a slap upside the head, to have a major epiphany that he was a judgmental idiot, and to grovel on his knees.  Unfortunately, none of those things happened.    

Reading Challenges
Contemporary Romance
Genre Decades Challenge
Monthly Mix Up Mania
TBR Pile
Story Sprites
  
I purchased this book with my own funds.

The Heart of a Killer by Jaci Burton

The Heart of a Killer by Jaci Burton
Before the Special Forces hero has even unpacked his bags from twelve years of active duty, he's embroiled in murder--corpses bearing the brutal trademark he's seen only once before--on the worst night of his life.

The last time Detective Anna Pallino saw Dante Renaldi, they were in love.  Now, he's part of hte connection to a string of fresh homicides and a horrible assault that Anna only survived thanks to him.

More than anything, Anna wants to trust Dante.  But as the bodies and the coincidences stack up, Anna will have to decide, and fast: Is the man she owes her life to the very same one who wants her dead?

Twelve years ago, Anna was attacked in an alley.  Her attacker had time to carve a heart into her chest before she was saved by her four friends, foster brothers who would protect her with their lives.  When her attacker dies in the alley, Anna worries that the brothers will get in trouble and she hides their involvement with the help of her cop father.  To keep from being implicated in the crime, Dante leaves despite his deep love for Anna.  

Now Dante is back and before he can even check into a hotel room someone he knows well is found dead in the same alley where Anna was attacked--a heart carved into the chest wall is another unmistakable sign that someone knows about the past and is dragging terrible memories into the present.  When Anna is assigned to the crime as the detective in charge, Dante is amazed at the changes in the sweet loving sixteen year old he had to leave behind.  The current Anna is tough and ready to take on whatever and whomever she has to to solve the mystery of who knows about that night from twelve years ago.

Dante has a lot of ground to make up with Anna--she doesn't trust him after he left her and his unwillingness to share what he has been doing for the last twelve years does not endear him to her either.  Soon Dante is a suspect and as more crimes occur, Anna and Dante find themselves getting deeper--both in the case and with each other.  However, as the mystery continues and people close to what happened in the past are put in danger, Dante's innocence becomes more clear while who is really perpetrating the crimes remains frustratingly unknown.  

I liked the first half of this book and then the story began to drag.  The story felt like it began going in circles without ever getting closer to any type of resolution.  And then BOOM at the very last minute the bad guy was revealed and taken out.  The reason behind the "who" and "why" of the killer wasn't enough for me--it felt like the person was only chosen for shock value and not because of the reasons outlined in the book.  I didn't buy it which made me regret sticking with the book for 400+ pages.  Bummer.

Reading Challenges
Official TBR Pile Extreme
Reading Road Trip
Romantic Suspense
TBR Pile
Bookish Bingo
Story Sprites

I purchased this book with my own funds.

Alphabet Soup: A Completed Reading Challenge

Alphabet Soup: A Completed Reading Challenge

The Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge hosted by Escape with Dollycas has been a fun one...I hope she hosts it again next year, I would happily participate again!  Here are the books that I have read: 

A: At Home in Stone Creek by Linda Lael Miller 
B: Big Bad Beast by Shelly Laurenston
C: Capturing Peace by Molly McAdams
D: Desperate Game by Jayne Castle
E: Embrace the Darkness by Alexandra Ivy
F: Fatal Fortune by Jayne Castle
G: Guarding January by Sean Michael
H: Hot Zone by Jayne Ann Krentz
I: Icebound by Julie Rowe
J: Jordan's Desires by Lynn Hagen
K: Kobe by Lynn Hagen
L: The Lady and the Lion by Cynthia Kirk
M: The Mane Event by Shelly Laurenston
N: No Ifs, Ands or Bears About It by Celia Kyle
O: Once Perfect by Cecy Robson
P: Pack and Mate by Sean Michael
Q: Rock Stars and Size Queens by Sean Michael
R: Rough Around the Edges by L M Somerton
S: Stone Creek Christmas by Linda Lael Miller
T: Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
U: Underground: Special Teams by Sean Michael
V: Valentino's Cowboy by Lynn Hagen
W: When Darkness Comes by Alexandra Ivy
X: Xavi's Wild Ride by Bellann Summer
Y: Yuri and Liam by Stormy Glenn
Z: A to Z by Marie Sexton

All in all, a very fun reading challenge!  

Running Wild by Linda Howard and Linda Jones

Running Wild by Linda Howard and Linda Jones
Carlin Reed lives in fear, off the grid, moving from place to place.  So Battle Ridge, Wyoming, a small town in the middle of nowhere, seems like a good place to lie low for a little while.  But after becoming cook and housekeeper to cattle rancher Zeke Decker, Carlin suspects that she's made her first mistake.  Rugged, sexy, and too distracting for her own good, Zeke is pure temptation mixed with something deep and primal that makes Carlin feel almost safe.  Soon things are getting way too hot in the kitchen.  

Zeke doesn't challenge Carlin's terms: cash, dead bolts, and no questions.  It is easy to see that she's a woman in trouble.  Problem is, he's so blindsided by his attraction to her he can't think straight.  Zeke tries to stay all business, no complications--but that game plan is sabotaged the second Carlin gets under his skin.  And when her terrifying past follows her to the ranch, Carlin faces a heartbreaking choice: run away from the man she loves, or put him in the crosshairs of a madman.  

Nobody writes men like Linda Howard and this book definitely had an amazing male lead in Zeke.  Zeke who is impatient, stubborn, and takes on many responsibilities to protect what he considers his whether it be his ranch, his family, his ranch hands, or soon, Carlin.  Carlin is on the run from a stalker who is computer savvy and a cop--a combination that makes living "off the grid" an absolute necessity.  Working her way across the country is her best plan to keep Brad, her nutcase stalker, off her trail.  Pulling into Battle Ridge, WY, Carlin just wants a job to restock her cash stash so she can keep moving; little does she know she has found home.  

Zeke needs a housekeeper since his previous one quit to be nearer her family.  He is reluctant to hire a woman as he feels it would be a bad idea with all the men on the ranch unless said woman was married or middle-aged.  Carlin is neither and Zeke is determined to steer clear of her until the hand who has been doing the cooking is hurt and unable to continue kitchen duty.  With no other options, Zeke hires Carlin who insists she will only be able to stay until the spring.  Carlin and Zeke are an amazing pairing who come together at a pace that is perfect.  They both are attracted to the other but are understandably reluctant to get involved with each other considering Carlin's stalker, Zeke's worry she will run at any time, and their employee/employer status.   

There were times I laughed out loud at the banter between Carlin and Zeke, I loved the secondary characters, especially Spencer, and the romance and suspense were both timed exquisitely.  The ending confrontation with Brad happened fairly quickly but I didn't feel that it was short changed in any way.  Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and would love to revisit Battle Ridge.  I am in awe of how seamlessly this book flowed having been written by two different authors, I couldn't tell who wrote what.  Instead I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

Reading Challenges
105 Challenge
Foodie Challenge
Monthly Mix Up Mania
Official TBR Pile Extreme
Reading Road Trip
Romantic Suspense
TBR Pile
Bookish Bingo

I purchased this book with my own funds.

A to Z by Marie Sexton

A to Z by Marie Sexton

Zach Mitchell is stuck in a rut.  His college boyfriend left him ten years ago, but Zach still lives in the same apartment, drives the same car, and feeds his ex-boyfriends's ungrateful cat.  His Denver business, A to Z Video Rental, is struggling.  He has annoying customers, eccentric neighbors, and an unfulfilled romance with his landlord, Tom.  A combat boot-wearing punk with an attitude, Angelo Green was raised in foster homes and has been on his own since he was sixteen; he has never learned to trust or to love.  He doesn't do relationships so when Angelo takes a job at A to Z Video, he decides Zach is strictly off-limits.  Despite their differences, Zach and Angelo quickly become friends, and when Zach's break-up with Tom puts his business on the line, it's Angelo who comes up with a solution.  Together with Jared and Matt, their friends from Coda, Colorado, Zach and Angelo will find a way to save A to Z , but will they be able to save each other too?

Based on the first chapter I really didn't think I would like this book.  I stuck with it because I was trying to finish my Alphabet Soup reading challenge and I needed a Z...Thank goodness because I ended up really enjoying this book quite a lot.  Zach did not strike me as likable at first--he up front admits that he was lazy in his life choices and had repeatedly cheated on his long time ex-boyfriend.  But.  Then he starts his "relationship" with Tom and I started to feel badly that Zach would think so little of himself that he would accept the little that Tom gave him and be grateful for it, not to mention want more which so obviously was never going to happen.  I was so relieved when Angelo entered the picture because I knew it had to spell the end for Tom.  It didn't happen soon enough for me but that was okay--I think it needed to happen exactly the way it did for Zach to really understand how little credit he was giving himself.  

The best thing about this book was watching, and hearing as this book is written in alternating 1st person chapters, both Zach and Angelo evolve both in their relationship and as individuals who slowly come to realize their worth to others as well as to themselves.  From a decidedly unromantic beginning, Marie Sexton crafted a wonderfully sweet story about two men that I rooted for the whole time while always understanding why it took them both so long to get to their happy ever after.  What was so wonderful was watching the different stages their relationship went through.  I  knew that while each stage was necessary and if needed could work long-term that they both truly deserved the best of happy-ever-afters and even better, I got to see them get it.  

Reading Challenges
Alphabet Soup
I Love Library Books
Contemporary Romance

I borrowed this book from my local public library.  

Once More With Feeling by Nora Roberts

Once More With Feeling by Nora Roberts
It had been more than five years since Raven Williams had laid eyes on Brandon Carstairs, the man who'd stolen her heart.  Now he offered her the opportunity of a lifetime--to work with him on his latest venture.  And despite the painful ache he brought to her life, Raven found herself powerless to say no...

After a long unexpected absence from blogging I found myself in a rut of only rereading well known shorter stories on my kindle.  I was enjoying my reading life but I wasn't loving it.  I was in a holding pattern and while it was comfortable and familiar and, yes, full of great stories, it wasn't new and fresh and exciting.  So I did what I often do while when I find myself in a reading rut.  I turned to an author that I knew would snap me out of it.  Nora Roberts-one of the best story tellers out there.  I went to my good old TBR pile and grabbed the first Nora I saw.  And promptly DNF'd it.  Not wanting to give in so easily, I went back and grabbed another, this time it was Reunion, a two-in-one compilation including Once More With Feeling.

Once More With Feeling is one of Nora's 80's romances but it felt more contemporary than some I have read from that same era.  Raven is a mega successful singer who had a one time romance with Brand Carstairs, another successful singer/songwriter.  Five years ago their love affair ended abruptly hurting them both.  Brand is back in Raven's life with the opportunity of a lifetime--collaborating with him to compose the score to what is sure to be the hottest movie of the year.  Raven is unsure if she wants to chance putting her heart on the line again, but she can't turn down the chance to be a part of a project that will fulfill her artistic needs and add another success to her career.  

Brand knew he had Raven's love five years ago, but he never had her trust.  There were whole sections of her life that she held back from him.  He is determined to have all of her this time around.  After securing Raven's agreement to work with him, he whisks her off to Cornwall to work in an environment free from interruptions from family and fans.  His plan works as they quickly break down walls that have stood between them, but there is still anger on both sides from their past interactions and these explode in one long awaited argument.  Unfortunately, it is at this same time that Raven's personal life implodes and she must return to California to deal with the fall out.  Will Brand and Raven ever get it together and finally find a way to let go of the past so they can move on to the future?  Of course they will!  This is romance-landia, happy endings are a must--although I will admit the ending on this one felt a wee-bit rushed.  Overall, though, this book fit the bill of breaking me out of my kindle and back into the land of new-to-me titles.  It feels good to be back!  

Reading Challenges
Around the World
Contemporary Romance
Genre Decades 
Monthly Motif (Retro reading for June's motif)
TBR Pile
TBR (Retro reading for May)
TBR Reduction Extreme
Bookish Bingo
Story Sprites

I purchased this book with my own funds.

Story Sprites Reading Challenge

Story Sprites Reading Challenge (Hosted by Great Imaginations)

I am happy to jump back into blogging and back into my reading challenges!  On that note, Great Imaginations has come up with a new fun challenge to try called Story Sprites.  It runs from July 1-Oct. 1 at which point everyone will share their wrap up posts.  There is a game board: 

with colored "paths" that you can take (does anyone else get fun Candy Land feelings from this board?) depending on the books you want to read.  There are five paths: red, orange, green, blue, and purple.  You can choose one, some, or all the paths to complete.  Completed paths earn you badges and entries into a great giveaway they are conducting.  With all of this fun, how could I not want to participate?  My official goal is at least one path but you know I secretly (or not so secretly) want to complete them ALL!