It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (Sept. 24, 2012)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.
I had a better reading week than last week but reading is still going slowly for me. The end of the baseball season is coming though which will free up some more reading time for me. But I will miss watching my Braves play baseball. Right now, the combination of baseball and the start of the new Fall television programming is really cutting into my reading time.
I finished three books last week:

I finished Shades of Temptation by Virna DePaul. This was a pretty good romantic suspense title that I got from Harlequin via NetGalley. I liked the romance but I did get a little tired of the female lead's insecurity about her abilities. She seemed to obsess about being a woman in a man's world and having to be just one of the guys in order to be accepted. The whole concept felt a little retro to me. The book was released on Sept. 18 and my review will be posted on Sept. 29.

I also read Run the Risk by Lori Foster. This was another romantic suspense title I got from Harlequin via NetGalley. This one was also okay. I cringed a little when the male lead decided to seduce the female lead to get information about her brother. He kept saying it was against his conscience but kept doing it anyway. It was quite a suspenseful story though. The book will be released on Sept. 25 and my review will be posted on Sept. 27.

I also read The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost. This one combined a lot of trends in current young adult adventures but combined them well. The characters were likable and the situations were realistically scary. Since this is the beginning of a new series, there were plenty of issues unresolved at the end. I look forward to reading more and think the boys in my media center will especially like this one. The book will be released on Sept. 25. My review is here.

I am currently reading Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel which is the sequel to Dearly, Departed. It is also only the second book I have ever read that featured zombies as main characters. I tend to avoid them (make that...run screaming). However, I like the science fiction, steampunk elements of this one. The book will be released on Sept. 25. Since I am at 60% on my Kindle, I should be able to finish it and get my review posted by Sept. 27.

Next on the reading horizon are bunches and bunches of review books. Here are the ones on the top of the stack.

I got both of these adult books from the Amazon Vine program. The Birthday Scandal by Leigh Michaels is a historical romance that will be released on October 9. Midnight Exposure by Melinda Leigh is contemporary romantic suspense. It was released on Aug. 21.

Chasing the Skip by Janci Patterson sounded like an interesting contemporary story. Here is what Amazon says about this Oct. 2 release:

Ricki’s dad has never been there for her. He’s a bounty hunter who spends his time chasing parole evaders—also known as “skips”—all over the country. But now since Ricki’s mom ran off, Ricki finds herself an unwilling passenger in a front-row seat to her father’s dangerous lifestyle.

Ricki’s feelings get even more confused when her dad starts chasing seventeen-year-old Ian Burnham. She finds herself unavoidably attracted to the dark-eyed felon who seems eager to get acquainted. But Ricki thinks she’s ever in control—the perfect manipulator. Little does she know that Ian isn’t playing their game by her rules.

League of Strays by L. B. Schulman is also a contemporary. I got it from NetGalley. Here is what Amazon says about this Oct. 1 release:

This suspenseful debut follows a group of teenage misfits in their delicious quest for revenge on those who have wronged them at their high school. When a mysterious note appears in Charlotte’s mailbox inviting her to join the League of Strays, she’s hopeful it will lead to making friends. What she discovers is a motley crew of loners and an alluring, manipulative ringleader named Kade. Kade convinces the group that they need one another both for friendship and to get back at the classmates and teachers who have betrayed them. But Kade has a bigger agenda. In addition to vandalizing their school and causing fights between other students, Kade’s real intention is a dangerous plot that will threaten lives and force Charlotte to choose between her loyalty to the League and her own conscience.

I got The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke from NetGalley too.  I liked the sound of this young adult fantasy novel which will be released on Oct. 2.

I also have Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate on my stack from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. I thought this science fiction story sounded interesting and it would also give me a chance to read something by these authors. This one will also be released on Oct. 2.

Reviews posted last week:

• Cast in Peril by Michelle Sagara
• The Lost Night by Jayne Castle
• The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost
• The Assault by Brian Falker
• Otherkin by Nina Berry

My last couple of slow reading weeks have eaten up all of the cushion I built this past summer. I am feeling lots of pressure because I don't have books read and reviewed for future posting on my blog. I hope all of these are engaging reads and let me at least keep up.

What was your week like?