Stacking the Shelves (August 24, 2014)

Tynga of Team Tynga's Reviews has a meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Visit her site to check out the linky and see what everyone gets. I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow.

My review stack grew this week. Most of the books I got were upcoming review titles from Edelweiss and NetGalley. It looks like I was in the mood for a mystery. It also looks like I have a lot of books to read and reviews to schedule around Nov. 4.

Path of Needles by Alison Littlewood was a find on Edelweiss. It will be released on Nov. 4.

The Gift of Darkness by Valentina Giambanca was also a Nov. 4 release that I found on Edelweiss.

Caught Dead by Andrew Lanh is also a Nov. 4 release. I found this one on NetGalley.

Deeper Than the Grave by Tina Whittle is also a NetGalley find which will be released on Nov. 4.

These three are from Alibi books. It is a division of Random House specializing in ebooks. I got an email invitation to download these from NetGalley.

The Red Book of Primrose House by Marty Wingate is also a Nov. 4 release. 

A Penny for the Hangman by Tom Savage will be released on Oct. 7.

Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death by Mark Reutlinger will be released on Nov. 18.

I bought a couple of books this week too.

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison was free for the Kindle this week. I have the print copy and read it years ago. I didn't have a Kindle copy though.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie won the Hugo Award this week. I bought a copy for my Kindle.

What did you add to your stack this week?

ARC Review: Irresistible Force by D. D. Ayres

Irresistible Force
Author: D. D. Ayres
Series: A K-9 Rescue Novel (Book 1)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 26, 2014)

Description: When adrenaline runs high, so does the force of desire…

For Shay Appleton, it’s love at first sight when a gorgeous stray dog is brought into the animal shelter where she works. She just knows he’ll make a terrific watch dog—and with an abusive ex who won’t let go, she needs all the protection she can get. But Shay never suspected that her new pet is actually a trained police K-9 named Bogart—until Bogart’s even more gorgeous, human partner shows up on her doorstep.

Officer James Cannon is one tall, strong alpha male who’s convinced that Shay stole his dog. But once he gets closer to the suspect, he realizes that this stubborn, independent woman not only needs a guard dog, she needs James as well. It seems that someone from her past is stalking her, and threatening her life. When danger meets desire, will James risk his career and his best friend…to protect the woman who’s stolen his heart?

My Thoughts: IRRESISTIBLE FORCE was an engaging romantic suspense title with, perhaps, on overabundance of stalkers. The story begins when police K-9 officer James Cannon forces his way into Shay Appleton's isolated cabin because he believes she has kidnapped his dog Bogart. Shay had rescued Bogart, who she named Prince, when someone dropped him off at the shelter where she volunteered demanding that the dog be put down.

She was glad to have Prince for protection. She had broken it off with her abusive ex Eric but he hadn't stopped harassing her by leaving gifts and constantly cornering her demanding that she come back to him. Shay had gone to the police but had retracted her statement when Eric threatened to expose her past. As a 14-year-old she had been assaulted by her mother's boyfriend and had stabbed him. The trauma of the assault stole her voice and her memory. By the time she had recovered both the boyfriend had accused her of assault which led to hospitalization for a nervous breakdown and a sealed juvenile record. Shay still suffers from anxiety attacks that are only made worse by Eric's current actions.

James wants his dog back but is also drawn to Shay. When she describes the woman who dropped Bogart off at the shelter, James recognized a former girlfriend. Since the girlfriend is a TV personality in Charlotte, she doesn't want her reputation ruined by having her actions exposed. So, she decides to sue Shay and James for attempting to defame her character. That would be bad enough but she also gets one of the guys she interviewed in prison to have one of his friends harass Shay.

This was an entertaining story. I loved the romance that grew between Shay and James. I loved how she finally came to love and trust him. I was also very taken with Bogart who was a really great character too. I liked his playful but protective relationship with Shay and his work relationship with James.

This was a great story for romance lovers and for dog lovers.

Favorite Quote:

It was the sight of Eric's smug expression, knowing he was going to get away with what he'd done, that spurred her to blurt out that their relationship was over, right there in front of the two law enforcement officers who could not help her.

Eric didn't respond but she saw the cold fury in his expression that no one else seemed to notice. there'd been a promise in his last look, and it terrified her. She knew in her bones that he was going to get even. When she let her guard down. When she stopped worrying. When she was most vulnerable.

I got this eARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Irresistible Force by D. D. Ayres

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week I am spotlighting Irresistible Force by D. D. Ayres. I saw this book while browsing Stacking the Shelves posts, requested it at NetGalley, and was approved. This romantic suspense title will be released on August 26. Here is the description:

When adrenaline runs high, so does the force of desire…

For Shay Appleton, it’s love at first sight when a gorgeous stray dog is brought into the animal shelter where she works. She just knows he’ll make a terrific watch dog—and with an abusive ex who won’t let go, she needs all the protection she can get. But Shay never suspected that her new pet is actually a trained police K-9 named Bogart—until Bogart’s even more gorgeous, human partner shows up on her doorstep.

IRRESISTIBLE FORCE by D.D. Ayres

Officer James Cannon is one tall, strong alpha male who’s convinced that Shay stole his dog. But once he gets closer to the suspect, he realizes that this stubborn, independent woman not only needs a guard dog, she needs James as well. It seems that someone from her past is stalking her, and threatening her life. When danger meets desire, will James risk his career and his best friend…to protect the woman who’s stolen his heart?

Beginning:

Surveillance was simple in the South in autumn. It was hunting season in North Carolina. A man dressed in camouflage and carrying a rifle in the woods didn't rate a second glance.

Friday 56:

He hunched his shoulders against her words, a sullen look creeping into his expression. "You got a dog when you know I have allergies. That was thoughtless."

ARC Review: Memory Zero by Keri Arthur

Memory Zero
Author: Keri Arthur
Series: Spook Squad (Book 1)
Publication: Dell (August 26, 2014)

Description: MORTAL RECALL

For Sam Ryan, life began at age fourteen. She has no memory of her parents or her childhood. In a decade of service with the State Police, Sam has exhausted the resources of the force searching for clues to her identity. But all mention of her family seems to have been deliberately wiped off the record. Everything changes the night Sam’s missing partner resurfaces as a vampire . . . and forces her to kill him in self-defense. Now Sam is charged with murder. Suspended from the force, and with no one left to trust, Sam accepts some unexpected help from Gabriel Stern, a shapeshifter who conceals startling secrets.

While investigating the circumstances surrounding her partner’s strange behavior, Sam discovers that Garbriel’s been involved with a dangerous organization that’s planning a war on the human race. More immediate, someone is guarding the truth about Sam’s past—someone who’d rather see her dead than risk her knowing too much. To stay alive, Sam must unravel the threads of her past—and find out not only who< she is but what she is.

My Thoughts: This urban fantasy, set in Australia in some future time, introduces Samantha Ryan who is a police officer. She is 29 and has no memory of her life before the age of 14. She also has some growing powers of an unexplained and unknown nature.

The story begins with her trying to find her partner who has been missing for 5 weeks. Finding Jack raises lots more questions than it answers since Jack has become a vampire and tried to kill her. Running from him and another paranormal thing called a kite has her running into Gabriel Stern who is publicly a Deputy Director of the SIU and secretly a member of the Federation. Gabriel is a shapeshifter who becomes very curious about what Sam is.

The story is packed with action and all sorts of plots. While Sam is trying to find out more about herself, she is also trying to find out what Jack is up to. She is very reluctant to accept that he is a villain because he has been her only friend for the five years that they have been partners in the police. Gabriel is starting to like her but doesn't feel that they have any sort of a future because he is determined to never work with another partner and believes that a romantic relationship is impossible because he has already lost his mate.

This is the first book in a trilogy and leaves a number of questions to be answered. It was entertaining and well-written. This is a re-release of a book and series that came out in 2004 and 2005. The futuristic setting keeps it from seeming dated.

Favorite Quote:

There was something in those bright depths that seemed to run straight through him, driving deep into his soul. It was partly a recognition of fate—a sense that this woman, for good or for bad, would play a vital part in his future.

I got the eARC from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Mercy Burns by Keri Arthur

Mercy Burns
Author: Keri Arthur
Series: Myth and Magic (Book 2)
Publication: Dell; 1st edition (April 19, 2011)

Description: For readers of Keri Arthur’s bestselling Riley Jenson Guardian series comes a new sexy and exciting paranormal romance—the second novel in her acclaimed Myth and Magic series.

Mercy Reynolds is a reporter in the San Francisco Bay area, but she’s also more—and less—than human. Half woman, half air dragon, she’s a “draman”—unable to shift shape but still able to unleash fiery energy. Now something will put her powers to the test.

Mercy’s friend Rainey has enlisted her help to solve her sister’s murder. Then a horrible accident claims Rainey’s life, leaving Mercy only five days to find the killer: If Mercy fails, according to dragon law, Rainey’s soul will be doomed to roam the earth for eternity. But how can Mercy help when she herself is a target? With nowhere else to turn, she must join forces with a sexy stranger—the mysterious man they call “Muerte,” or death itself, who’s as irresistible as he is treacherous. But can even Death keep Mercy alive for long enough to find her answers?

My Thoughts: MERCY BURNS was an interesting paranormal romance. Mercy is a draman - half-human, half-dragon - who has been raised a second class citizen and been abused by the full dragons in her area. She is a journalist who is investigating the extermination of some draman towns with her best friend Rainey when they are run off the road. Rainey is killed and Mercy has 5 days to find her killers in order to save her soul.

While investigating, she is taken captive and thrown into a cell with a muerte named Damon Rey - a full dragon who has special tasks and acts as an executioner for his kingdom. Mercy's dragon powers manage to get them free and, since they both want to know who and why the draman towns were destroyed, they team up. Mercy is rather impulsive and doesn't have much of a sense of self-preservation. If she had more sense, she would run from the muerte since everyone is afraid of them.

Mercy very hesitantly falls in love with him. Her main hesitation has to do with her previous experiences with full dragons. It doesn't help that he has certain mistaken prejudices about draman too. However, their love grows as they have to depend on each other to solve the mystery. The romance doesn't go smoothly since Damon doesn't believe that he can emotionally commit to anyone.

Fans of paranormal romance and especially dragon fans will enjoy this story.

Favorite Quote:

"Where the hell are we going?"

"Back to your brother's place. You need to get some things together, then get the hell away from there."

"I don't really think—"

"Yeah, we discovered that."

I bought this one on April 21, 2011. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Memory Zero by Keri Arthur

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

Guilt wasn't a luxury she could afford right now. Not when she was up to her neck in trouble and sinking fast. 

This week my teaser comes from Memory Zero by Keri Arthur. I got this eARC from NetGalley. It is now being published by Dell but I am almost certain that I read this book about ten years ago. It will be interesting to see what seems familiar. Here is the description of this Aug. 26 release:

MORTAL RECALL

For Sam Ryan, life began at age fourteen. She has no memory of her parents or her childhood. In a decade of service with the State Police, Sam has exhausted the resources of the force searching for clues to her identity. But all mention of her family seems to have been deliberately wiped off the record. Everything changes the night Sam’s missing partner resurfaces as a vampire . . . and forces her to kill him in self-defense. Now Sam is charged with murder. Suspended from the force, and with no one left to trust, Sam accepts some unexpected help from Gabriel Stern, a shapeshifter who conceals startling secrets.

While investigating the circumstances surrounding her partner’s strange behavior, Sam discovers that Garbriel’s been involved with a dangerous organization that’s planning a war on the human race. More immediate, someone is guarding the truth about Sam’s past—someone who’d rather see her dead than risk her knowing too much. To stay alive, Sam must unravel the threads of her past—and find out not only who she is but what she is.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (August 18, 2014)

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 my last quiet week of the summer this past week. I did a lot of reading. I also did a lot of work on my blog. I have set up the basic posts for all of my October review books. Yes, October! I'm that far ahead which should stand me in good stead since the beginning of any school year is hectic. 

This new school year will be especially hectic as I am also training a brand new high school media center paraprofessional who has no previous experience in libraries. Adding to that we have seven new staff members between my two buildings and are in the planning stage for an addition and remodel of my elementary building. My media center will not be in the construction zone but I wouldn't be surprised if I need to host "refugees" whose rooms are being disrupted.

This week a friend will be visiting for four days. We'll be doing our annual True Blood marathon and watching all of season six. We'll also be blogging, playing computer games, visiting actual casinos, doing tourist stuff and other assorted stuff. I expect it to be fun but I don't expect much time for reading.

Read Last Week

The Man from Stone Creek by Linda Lael Miller was a nice Western romantic suspense title with a sexy, honorable lawman, a feisty woman who runs the General Store, and robbers all set in the Arizona Territory in 1902. My review will be posted on Sept. 27.

Courting Magic by Stephanie Burgis is a novella in the Kat, Incorrigible YA historical fantasy series. I loved the magic and the romance. If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend them. My review is posting today since the novella was released last week. 

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper is another historical fantasy. This one takes place in the 1860s on an island off the coast of Massachusetts and is about magic, whaling, and family curses. This is a much anticipated YA title and was good but it didn't live up to the hype for me. My review will be posted on September 25.

Firebug by Lish McBride is a YA contemporary urban fantasy title about a young woman who has the power to start fires with her mind and who is forced to work for the Coterie which is led by a vampire. When our heroine is told to kill a family friend, she and her partners go on the run looking for a way to bring down the Coterie. This was fresh and the writing was engaging. My review will be posted on September 24.

Two of a Kind by Susan Mallery was one of my Amazon Vine picks this month. It was a feel-good romance in the Fool's Gold series. It had great characters and realistic conflicts between them. I haven't been reading this series in order. The books stand alone well but do make me want to read some of the surrounding stories that tell about supporting characters' romances. My review will be posted on October 2. 

Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin was a young adult science fiction thriller. I enjoyed the story and think it will appeal to teens. It was action-packed and exciting. My review will be posted on September 27.

Pecan Pies and Deadly Lies by Nancy Naigle was a romantic suspense title I got from Amazon Vine. It is the 4th in the Adams Grove series which I haven't read. I enjoyed the characters and the romance in this story. My review will be posted on October 4.

Night Sky by Suzanne Brockmann and Melanie Brockmann is Suzanne's YA debut and Melanie's first book. It is a science fiction story that takes place in a near-future United States. There are people with hormones in their blood that let them use more of their brains and have gifts like telekinesis, telepathy, prescience and other psychic gifts. There is also a designer drug made from the hormone which has the drug dealers kidnapping and draining the blood from the gifted. Our heroines are trying to rescue one of the young girls who was kidnapped. My review will be posted on October 2.

Thursday with the Crown by Jessica Day George is the third book in the Tuesdays with the Castle Middle Grade fantasy series. It was engaging and filled with great characters. My review will be posted on October 6.

Currently

I am reading Exquisite Captive by Heather Demetrios. I got two copies of the ARC - one from NetGalley and one from Amazon Vine. I am reading my Kindle copy. This one seems like it is going to be on the upper end of young adult because of mature themes. Our heroine - a jinni sold into slavery on Earth - is juggling her master whom she hates and is attracted to and a jinni who hates her but wants her to do something for a revolution back home. 

Next Week

I have company arriving to spent most of the week and I need to get organized to return to my school year home. I don't know how much time I will have for reading. Here are the next four young adult review books on my stack.

Stray by Elissa Sussman

Kiss Kill Vanish by Jessica Martinez

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot

Reviews Posted

• Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead
• Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur
• The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
• Visions by Kelley Armstrong
• The Lost Son by Tessa Gratton
• Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

• Inside of a Dog
• Ms. Martin Teaches Media

How was your week?