Book Review: Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Chasing Fire
Author: Nora Roberts
Publication: Putnam Adult; 1ST edition (April 12, 2011); PB Jove (April 3, 2012)


Description: The number-one New York Times-bestselling author delves into the world of elite firefighters who thrive on danger and adrenaline--men and women who wouldn't know how to live life if it wasn't on the edge. 

There's little as thrilling as firefighting--at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend. She's been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home--even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering. 

Fortunately, this year's rookie crop is one of the strongest ever--and Gulliver Curry's one of the best. He's also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kids' arcade. 

Everything is thrown off balance when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year's tragedy. Rowan knows she can't complicate things with Gull--any distractions in the air or on the ground could mean the end--but if she doesn't find someone she can lean on, she may not make it through the summer. . . .



My Thoughts: This book kept me up reading until late into the night. I just couldn't put it down until I knew who the villain was and until the romance was resolved. I have never read anything about smoke jumpers and found the background of this romantic suspense novel fascinating. The idea of jumping out of an airplane into the wilderness to fight forest fires is amazing. 


Our heroine is Rowan Tripp. She is smart, fit, confident and a veteran Zulie (smoke jumpers who work out of Missoula, Montana). The rest of the crew are her family and she is the daughter of a legend among smoke jumpers. Father and daughter have a great relationship and it has been just the two of them as a unit since Ro's mother left when she was a baby. Ro does have some abandonment issues and doesn't have any confidence in the idea of lasting love. She also has a policy of not hooking up with anyone she works with.


Enter Gulliver Curry. Gull is a rookie in the camp this season but a seasoned fire fighter. He is also strong, confident, smart and very funny. He takes one look at Ro and knows that he wants to get to know her. He has the self-confidence to persist with her and not be put off by her determined efforts to keep them apart. It helps that he can more than hold his own as a fire fighter. He is also the product of a loving family since he was taken in by his aunt and uncle when his parents were killed when he was very young.

But this isn't just a relationship story. There is also a mystery. It seems that someone is out to avenge the death of Rowan's partner. He died when he directed his parachute into the fire on one of their jumps. Rowan feels guilty and has nightmares because she was there and could do nothing to save him. Now camp cook Dolly is back with a baby she says is his and a strong hatred for Rowan. After she vandalizes Rowan's room she is fired and then soon she is found dead and burned in the forest. Rowan is the one who finds her body while her crew is fighting the fire the murder set to cover his crime.


Then there is more vandalism and another murder and gun shots fired at Ro and Gull. Tensions build as the police and other law enforcement agencies try to solve the crimes. The tension is very strong in this story. The conflict with trying to do a very demanding difficult job while being concerned for her personal safety puts a lot of pressure on Ro and Gull.


Adding to the pressure is the fact that Rowan's dad has started a new relationship with a new woman in town. This also rocks Ro's foundation as it has never happened before. She also has to deal with jealousy. I liked the way Gull used humor to help her adjust to the changes in her life. 


I recommend this story to lovers of romantic suspense but who don't want a sweet romance. This is a romance that catches Ro unaware. It sneaks up on her and changes her life.


Favorite Quote:

"You can sleep in my room tonight." He hitched a bandanna out of his pocket, used it to wipe the blood from her face. "But everybody who sleeps in my room has to be naked."

She huffed out a tired breath. "I'll bunk with Janis until I get it cleaned up. She has the naked rule, too."

"Now that was just mean."

I bought the hardcover when it came out and then lost it in my TBR stack. You are in luck because the paperback comes out this coming week. You can get your copy here.

Book Beginning & Friday 56: Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Happy Friday! Welcome to my Book Beginnings and Friday 56 post.

The closest book to me today is Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts. I love her work but somehow this book got buried in my TBR stack when it arrived. I just re-discovered it when I was looking for some books to read for the TBR challenges I am doing this year.

Here is the description:

The number-one New York Times-bestselling author delves into the world of elite firefighters who thrive on danger and adrenaline--men and women who wouldn't know how to live life if it wasn't on the edge.

There's little as thrilling as firefighting--at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend. She's been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home--even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering.

Fortunately, this year's rookie crop is one of the strongest ever--and Gulliver Curry's one of the best. He's also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kids' arcade.

Everything is thrown off balance when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year's tragedy. Rowan knows she can't complicate things with Gull--any distractions in the air or on the ground could mean the end--but if she doesn't find someone she can lean on, she may not make it through the summer. . . . 

Beginning:

Caught in the crosshairs of wind above the Bitterroots, the jump ship fought to find its stream. Fire boiling over the land jabbed its fists up through towers of smoke as if trying for a knock-out punch.

Friday 56:

"No tequila haze this morning?"

If you want to participate in these two Friday memes, you can check out Rose City Reader for Book Beginnings and Freda's Voice for the Friday 56. Join the fun by telling us the first sentence of the book and the fifth sentence on page 56 of  your closest book.

Book Review: Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Counterfeit Magic
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publication: Subterranean; Deluxe Hardcover edition (November 30, 2010)


Description: Return to the world of Kelley Armstrong's best-selling novels Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic for a long original novella.

The first rule of a supernatural fight club? Don't kill your opponent.

When the fighters come with lethal spells, werewolf strength and half-demon powers, that can be a lot tougher than it sounds. It's hard to attract talent if they know they might not leave the ring alive. So when fighters at a California club start dying -- it's bad for business.

Witch detectives Paige Winterbourne and Savannah Levine take the case. Going undercover in the power-heavy arena of the fight club is a welcome change of pace for Paige, relegated to the role of The Wife as her husband struggles to find his place in his family's Cabal--the corporate Mafia of the supernatural world.

As Paige is drawn deeper into new and dangerous corners of her world, she quickly discovers the greatest threat isn't the killer in her sights. It's something much, much closer to home. And this is one fight she can't afford to lose.



My Thoughts: This novella features Paige, Lucas and Savannah and a case at their investigations agency. A half-demon comes to hire them to investigate her brothers' death at a supernatural fight club. She also makes a major play for Lucas. While Lucas goes off with her to investigate one end of the case, Paige and Savannah go off to investigate the fight club. The case quickly gets more complicated than they thought.


Paige is feeling more uncertain about Lucas since he has become more involved in the Cortez Cabal. She knows that that organization of male chauvinist sorcerers will never accept her, a female witch, as anything except an eccentricity of Lucas's. She is worried that Lucas will come to the same conclusion. This case seems designed to play on her fears.


This story is a lot about trust and how people can grow and change in a relationship. Paige and Lucas' relationship is tested in this one. This was also an entertaining mystery involving characters fans of the Women of the Otherworld series have come to know. It was a great added glimpse of that world for those fans. I recommend it for fans of the Women of the Otherworld series. 


Favorite Quote:

Ethan's car was there, alongside on old Camaro, complete with an eagle on the hood and big-breasted women on the mud-flaps.


"Classy," Savannah said. "Love the mud flaps. I didn't think they still made those."


"No hit on the plate," I said as I finished searching it on my phone. "Fake."


"Like I said, a classy guy. Since we don't have a name, I vote for Guido." She caught my look. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure there are perfectly nice guys named Guido. In some universe."

I found this one buried in my TBR mountain and decided it was time to read it. You can buy yourself a copy here.

WoW: The Shape of Desire by Sharon Shinn

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. She has a linky widget at her site each week for your post and to make it easy to find posts by other people.

The purpose of the meme is to spotlight books that we are eagerly anticipating. It is fun to take a look at what others are waiting for.

I have noticed that it has expanded my wishlist and TBR mountain though. Be warned!

Sharon Shinn has a new book coming out. I just pre-ordered The Shape of Desire. It will be published on April 3.

Here is the description:

For fifteen years Maria Devane has been desperately, passionately in love with Dante Romano. But despite loving him with all of her heart and soul, Maria knows that Dante can never give all of himself back-at least not all the time.

Every month, Dante shifts shape, becoming a wild animal. During those times, he wanders far and wide, leaving Maria alone. He can't choose when he shifts, the transition is often abrupt and, as he gets older, the time he spends in human form is gradually decreasing. But Maria, who loves him without hesitation, wouldn't trade their unusual relationship for anything.

Since the beginning, she has kept his secret, knowing that their love is worth the danger. But when a string of brutal attacks occur in local parks during the times when Dante is in animal form, Maria is forced to consider whether the lies she's been telling about her life have turned into lies she's telling herself...

It sounds intriguing to me. What do you think?

Contest Winners Announced

Two contests have recently finished here and I am pleased to share the winners.

The winner of the Lucky Leprechaun Hop was Shauna from Ireland.She asked for Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith which I ordered for her at the Book Depository.

There were a number of winners for the Spring Cleaning Giveaway Hop. Here are the winners:

• Box #1 -- Valerie from Utah
• Box #2 -- John from Georgia
• Box #3 -- Kelly from Louisiana
• Box #4 -- Susan from Kansas

I have emailed the winners and mailed the boxes to the addresses they supplied.

Congratulations to all the winners. I hope you all enjoy your new books.

PS. Winners, would you let me know when your packages arrive? 

Teaser Tuesday: Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong

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!

I stumbled across Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong when I was browsing through a basket of older TBR books this past weekend and decided to move it to the top of my list. I bought it November 22, 2010. This is one of her original novellas published by Subterranean Press with some illustrations.

Here is the description:

Return to the world of Kelley Armstrong's best-selling novels Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic for a long original novella.

The first rule of a supernatural fight club? Don't kill your opponent.

When the fighters come with lethal spells, werewolf strength and half-demon powers, that can be a lot tougher than it sounds. It's hard to attract talent if they know they might not leave the ring alive. So when fighters at a California club start dying -- it's bad for business.

Witch detectives Paige Winterbourne and Savannah Levine take the case. Going undercover in the power-heavy arena of the fight club is a welcome change of pace for Paige, relegated to the role of The Wife as her husband struggles to find his place in his family's Cabal--the corporate Mafia of the supernatural world.

As Paige is drawn deeper into new and dangerous corners of her world, she quickly discovers the greatest threat isn't the killer in her sights. It's something much, much closer to home. And this is one fight she can't afford to lose. 

Teaser:

Unlike the movie, the first rule of our fight clubs was not "don't talk about." Most supernaturals plugged into the seamier side of our world knew about them. Even finding one wasn't all that tough, if you knew who to ask.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (March 26, 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.


Last week turned out to be a good reading week for me. I finished six books. Admittedly, some of them were short. Since I was caught up on review books, I decided to dig in my TBR baskets and read some books for my TBR challenges.

I read Magic Under Stone by Jaclyn Dolamore which was a young adult fantasy and the sequel to her debut novel Magic Under Glass. I enjoyed it for the adventure but wasn't as happy with the progress of the romance. My review is here.

I also read My Name Is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson which was historical fiction taking place in the 1960s and centered around the Alaska Native children who were sent away from their homes to attend boarding schools. If a book can be both heartbreaking and hopeful, this one certainly qualifies. My review will be posted on March 31.

I read Hidden by Kelley Armstrong which is novella length and tells what happens when Elena, Clay and their twins try to have a family Christmas. My review is here.

I also read Obsidian (A Lux Novel) by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This YA features aliens, danger, a tempestuous romance, and a main character who is a teenage blogger. My review will be posted on March 29.

I dug deep in the TBR basket to find Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts. This romantic suspense novel features smoke jumpers as the main characters. I really loved it and stayed up late to finish it. My review will be published on March 31.

I also found another novella length story by Kelley Armstrong - Counterfeit Magic - while digging around for something interesting. It has been on the stack since November 2010. This one features Paige, Lucas and Samantha and deals with a case that comes to their investigations agency. It also deals with some marital adjustments that Paige and Lucas have to make. My review will be posted on March 29.

I am currently reading two books which is a bit unusual for me. I am writing this Sunday morning and taking A Perfect Storm by Lori Foster with me when I go to the Timberwolves game this afternoon. I have a couple of hours of bus ride each way that I can use for reading time. I'm taking this one both because it is next on my review stack and because it is a purse-sized paperback.

I started reading Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey which I found in my TBR stack last night. Currently I have read about a third of it. But it is a hardcover and won't fit in my purse. I don't want to have to carry a book with me that isn't a purse book because I'm afraid I'll lose it. I need to make sure I don't lose any of the 50 some students going with us and I don't want to worry about losing a book too. (Just kidding, we haven't lost any kids the previous years but I always worry.)

I have time to read one more young adult book from my TBR stack before I start my April review books. I have chosen Catching Jordan by Miranda Kinneally because I have heard good things about this story. I like the idea of a young woman being the quarterback of her high school football team. 

Then, I have You Can't Have My Planet, But Take My Brother, Please by James Mihaly. This middle grade science fiction story has been sitting on my review stack since last October. It will be published on April 10.

I got The China Gambit by Allan Topol from Erin at Meryl L. Moss Media Relations at the beginning of February and said I would review it in April. It is a thriller that is the start of a trilogy about a former CIA agent trying to thwart a plot by China for world domination.

I also got Until Next Time by Amy Lignor from Tribute books and have a scheduled posting date of April 12.  This is book one in a new young adult paranormal series titled The Angel Chronicles. 

This week doesn't look like it will be a very good reading week. 

• Today - the Timberwolves, 
• Monday -The Hunger Games movie after work, 
• Tuesday - dentist appointment after work, 
• Wednesday - a committee meeting after school and packing, 
• Thursday - work half a day then drive to Grand Rapids (5 hours) for a conference, 
• Friday - conference from noon to 9 PM, 
• Saturday - conference until 3:30 PM and then driving back home, 
• Sunday - collapse from all the wild activity.

What does your coming week look like?

In My Mailbox (March 25, 2012)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.
 
I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the wonderful books everyone gets. You will discover lots of great blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.


Somehow, ten adult books managed to follow me home this week. First, let me tell you about the print books.

I read some really intriguing things about Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett this week. When I went to Amazon to buy a copy of it and its sequel, I found that they were in the 4-for-3 category. I can't pass up a bargain and had to find two more books to get.

Nightborn: Lords of the Darkyn by Lynn Viehl was also in the 4-for-3 category. I have heard good things about it but haven't read any of the Darkyn books yet. Since this one seems to start a new series, it looked like a good place to start.

The Surrender of Miss Fairbourne by Madeline Hunter was a 4-for-3 book that sounded like an interesting historical romance.

Then on Friday I got two ARC copies of Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick. I love her writing and really wanted this one. I won it at LibraryThing in February but wasn't sure it would ever arrive. My last highly anticipated win from LibraryThing went astray somewhere. So last week I asked for it from the Amazon Vine program which has not yet failed to send a book I asked for. Wonder of wonders, both copies arrived the same day. And I have already pre-ordered my finished copy.

I also added some books to my Kindle this week. Here they are:

Marine Biology by Gail Carriger is "A short tale of seduction, selkies, and sushi." This is 43 pages but sounds good.

My Sister's Song by Gail Carriger is a short story that was Carriger's first professional sale.

I read a great review this week of Bunny and the Bear by Eve Langlais and decided that I had to have it. The description makes it sound like the books I like by Shelly Laurenston - sexy, funny, and with shapeshifters.

I also read good things about His Darkest Hunger by Juliana Stone. It is also about shifters. It is the first in the Jaguar Warriors series. 

Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina is a steampunk story that is recommended for fans of Carriger and Cherie Priest. I love Carriger and steampunk and had to give this a try.

Her Own Devices by Shelley Adina is the sequel. I decided I needed this one on my Kindle too.

What followed you home this week?

Book Review: Hidden by Kelley Armstrong

Hidden 
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publication: Subterranean; Deluxe Hardcover Edition edition (December 31, 2011)


Description: Hiking through the snow, holiday baking and playing board games by the fire--what's not to love about an old-fashioned family Christmas?

Werewolves Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers want to give their four-year-old twins, Kate and Logan, something their parents never had: a nice, normal holiday. No Pack responsibilities, no homicidal half-demons or power-hungry sorcerers to deal with--just the four of them, alone, at a chalet outside Ontario's Algonquin Park. Then a strange werewolf shows up at their door...while the town is buzzing about a young man, back from college, found half-eaten in the woods. And there's the missing little girl...

With all the signs pointing to a rogue mutt with a taste for human flesh, Elena and Clay have no choice but to investigate. But are they the hunters--or the hunted?



My Thoughts: This short novel was still a great glimpse into the lives of Elena and Clayton and their children. I liked that we got to see more of the personalities of the twins. Kate is impulsive and empathetic and artistically talented; Logan is quiet and serious and frighteningly bright. They are off to have a quiet Christmas as a family.


But the quiet is disrupted by the strange werewolf they meet on arrival and by the potential of a man-eating werewolf in the area. Elena and Clayton are trying to investigate while keeping that part of their life secret from their kids.


One of the big issues in this story is Elena's indecision about whether or not to tell the kids that their parents are werewolves. Clay is all for telling them but Elena doesn't want to place an extra burden of secrecy on the children. But she also doesn't want to lie to them. It is a big decision for her. 


This is a nice addition to the Women of the Otherworld series which also has a few full color plates for illustrations. I wasn't really that fond of the pictures though because they seemed too "manga" to me and almost cartoonish. I prefer the images I have in my head for Elena and Clayton and the kids. 


Avid fans will have to have this one.


Favorite Quote:

I exhaled. "Which bring back the original question. When do we tell them?"

"I'm okay with telling them now. I'm okay with telling them in a year, two, three, even four. More than that? I have a problem. So, you have four years. When you're ready, we'll figure out how we're going to do it. And anytime you want to talk about it?"

"I know where to find you.""You got it."

I put my arms around his neck. "Thank you."

He arched his brows. "For making myself available to discuss a parenting issue with the mother of my children?"

"No. For knowing what was really worrying me, even when I wasn't sure myself."

I bought this one. You can get your copy here too.

ARC Review: The Cowboy Takes a Bride by Lori Wilde

The Cowboy Takes a Bride
Author: Lori Wilde
Publication: Avon; Original edition (March 27, 2012)


Description: Ex-champion bull rider-turned-cutting-horse cowboy Joe Daniels isn't quite sure how he ended up sleeping in a horse trough wearing nothing but his Stetson and cowboy boots. But now he's wide-awake, and a citified woman is glaring down at him. His goal? Get rid of her ASAP. The obstacle? Fighting the attraction he feels toward the blond-haired filly with the big, vulnerable eyes.

When out-of-work wedding planner Mariah Callahan learns that her estranged father has left her a rundown ranch in Jubilee, she has no choice but to accept it. Her goal? Redeem her career by planning local weddings. The obstacle? One emotionally wounded, hard-living cowboy who stirs her guilt, her heartstrings, and her long-burned cowgirl roots . . .

My Thoughts: I think what I liked the most about this romance was that the romance didn't come easy. So often the hero and heroine take one look at each other, fall madly in love, and then have to deal only with outside forces trying to disturb their romance. In this story the conflict in the romance came from inside both of the main characters.


Mariah comes to Jubilee, Texas, after she inherits a ranch from the father who abandoned her and her mother when she was seven. Her father had to follow his obsession with cutting horses and left his family behind. Mariah was raised by her mother who worked as a housekeeper for rich Chicago families. Mariah has learned to blend in no matter what the social situation but has never felt like she belonged anywhere or had anyone but her mother to love her.  She has worked for eleven years as the assistant to a society wedding planner and likes seeing other people's dreams come true. Her mother has found her own true love and has moved with him to Argentina. So when Mariah's dream job falls apart and she is fired and blacklisted she jumps at the chance to go to Jubilee. She hopes to quickly sell the ranch and get back to her "real" life in Chicago.


The first person she meets in Jubilee is Joe Daniels. When she first meets him, he is lying drunk and almost naked in a gold-plated watering trough in front of his home. Joe is using alcohol to dull the pain of the loss of Mariah's father Dutch who was his mentor. Coincidentally, Dutch died the same day that Joe lost his beloved young wife two years previously. He isn't doing well dealing with the grief of either loss. Mariah resents the closeness that Joe and Dutch had; Joe is angry at what he sees as Mariah's neglect of her father.


Mariah bears some physical resemblance to Joe's wife Becca but she quickly shows that her personality is very different. They are attracted to each other but seem to have so many obstacles in the way of a romance. Mariah thinks of herself as being in Jubilee only temporarily; Joe is the fifth generation to live on his ranch. Joe is as involved with cutting horses as Mariah's father was; Mariah is a wedding planner and sees herself as a city girl. Mariah fears that Joe is just like her father and will abandon her for horses like her father did. Joe is just afraid to risk his heart again after having it so badly broken by losing his first wife.


The book makes lots of allusions to Sleepless in Seattle. There are quite a few parallels between the movie and Joe and Mariah's situations. It takes hard work on both their parts before their romance can be successful. I liked both Mariah and Joe and thought they were realistic and well-rounded characters. I thought the secondary characters were also interesting people with stories I want to hear. I haven't read anything else by Lori Wilde but I know I will be adding her books to my stack.


Favorite Quote:

"Aw, poor baby. He got one helluva bruise and now he never wants to ride another horse again."

"It's not the same and you know it."

"Isn't it? So you had your heart broken. Any of us that have been around for any length of time have had our hearts broken. That's life. That's all it is. Loving, getting hurt, but daring to love again, even though you know you're probably going to get hurt again. That's the triumph of the human spirit. The infinite capacity to love."

I received this ARC from Avon Books via Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.

WoW: Werewolf in Seattle by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. She has a linky widget at her site each week for your post and to make it easy to find posts by other people.

The purpose of the meme is to spotlight books that we are eagerly anticipating. It is fun to take a look at what others are waiting for.

I have noticed that it has expanded my wishlist and TBR mountain though. Be warned!

I want Werewolf in Seattle: A Wild About You Novel by Vicki Lewis Thompson. I have read the first book in this series and have the second one on my TBR mountain. I liked the cute romance blended with light paranormal. And I really like werewolves.

Here is the description:

The last think Colin McDowell wants is to inherit his Aunt Geraldine's mansion in the San Juan islands off the coast of Washington. AS the pack leader of the Trevelyans in Scotland, he had little time to travel halfway around the world to take care of his inheritance.

But the trip takes a pleasant turn when he meets Luna Reynaud, the young secretary his aunt hired shortly before she died. He isn't sure which surprises him more-Luna's clever plan for turning the mansion into a resort of the fact that she's drop-dead gorgeous. Both intrigue him-until he learns that Luna is only a half-breed. There's no way a pack leader can mate with a woman who's partly human...or is there?

This book will be published on April 3.

Teaser Tuesday: The Cowboy Takes a Bride by Lori Wilde

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!

The Cowboy Takes a Bride by Lori Wilde is the Amazon Vine pick that has reached the top of my review stack. I chose this one because I was in the mood for a traditional romance. Here is the description from Amazon:

Ex-champion bull rider-turned-cutting-horse cowboy Joe Daniels isn't quite sure how he ended up sleeping in a horse trough wearing nothing but his Stetson and cowboy boots. But now he's wide-awake, and a citified woman is glaring down at him. His goal? Get rid of her ASAP. The obstacle? Fighting the attraction he feels toward the blond-haired filly with the big, vulnerable eyes.

When out-of-work wedding planner Mariah Callahan learns that her estranged father has left her a rundown ranch in Jubilee, she has no choice but to accept it. Her goal? Redeem her career by planning local weddings. The obstacle? One emotionally wounded, hard-living cowboy who stirs her guilt, her heartstrings, and her long-burned cowgirl roots . . .

Teaser:

"First off, I'm not naked," he said.

She couldn't help herself from raking a gaze over his amazing body. "You look naked."

"Appearances can be deceiving. For instance, you look stuck up." 

Spring Cleaning Giveaway Hop

It's time for some Spring Cleaning! Inspired Kathy of I Am a Reader, Not a Writer asks these very good questions:

• Do you have books sitting on your bookshelves that you've read but will never read again?
• How about books you've started but just couldn't get through?
• Review copies you've accepted but have never read? 

My answer is "yes" and I want you to help me out. Since I also save the boxes that I get from Amazon I have a number of their A1 boxes to fill.

Box #1

• Touchstone (ARC) by Melanie Rawn
• Spin (ARC) by Catherine McKenzie
• The Devil in Disguise (ARC) by Stephanie Sloan
• Breaking Point by Pamela Clare

Box #2

• Within the Flames by Marjorie M. Liu
• Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea (ARC) by Sophia Nash
• Deadly Sins (ARC) by Kylie Brant
• Fury of Fire (ARC) by Coreene Callahan

Super Box #3 (Amazon 1A1)

• Deeper Than Dead by Tami Hoag
• Strange Neighbors by Ashlyn Chase
• Witchful Thinking (ARC) by H. P. Mallory
• Blood Born by Linda Howard
• Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'Hara
• Out of Mind by Stella Cameron
• One Enchanted Evening by Lynn Kurland
• The Twisted Thread (ARC) by Charlotte Bacon
• When the Wind Blows by James Patterson

Super Box #4 - This is a mystery box. I am writing this post almost a month before the hop begins and don't know exactly what I will be throwing in this box. *Ten paperbacks that are romance, fantasy, or paranormal romance ended up in the box.

Because I will be shipping actual books, this contest is limited to people who live in the US or have a mailing address here.

Please fill out the form completely for a chance to win. Winners will be chosen on March 26 using Random.org and the packages will be shipped Media Mail as soon as possible thereafter.

Check out other participating sites here:

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (March 19, 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.


Another week has come and gone. This next week is the last one of the third quarter of our school year. The days are going by so fast. Spring fever has really hit for me this week. We have had utterly gorgeous, unseasonable temperatures. I almost felt tempted to turn on my air conditioning when the outside temperatures reached the high 70s this week. I did resist but couldn't keep from throwing open all the windows for the first time in months. It looks like temperatures will stay in the 70s through Tuesday of the coming week too.


I did get some reading done. I finished these books:

A Rising Thunder by David Weber is an episode in his Honor Harrington series but didn't devote very many pages to her. This one was mostly political maneuvering between Honor's kingdom and the Solarian League as they prepare to go to war. There were tons of characters here and the setting kept skipping around to many places. It was fine if you are into political intrigue but it lacked the excitement and adventure of most of the books in the series. My review is here.

The Cowboy Takes a Bride by Lori Wilde was a contemporary romance that I chose for review from the Amazon Vine program. I enjoyed the story and thought that the characters were realistic and well-developed. The book will be published on March 27. My review will be posted on March 22.

Also being published on March 27 is Spellcaster by Cara Lynn Shultz. I got this eARC from NetGalley. It is the sequel to Spellbound and was a good young adult paranormal romance. My review for this one will also be posted on March 22.

Having finished all but one of the books I needed to read and review in March, I decided to go browsing my TBR stacks to find my next books. I am currently reading Magic Under Stone by Jaclyn Dolamore. This is the sequel to Magic Under Glass and is a young adult fantasy with magic and fairies and also jinn.

I decided to browse my stacks for next week's books too. Only I decided to be more systematic and look for books that would count for my TBR challenges rather than grabbing books from the top of the stack. Here are the young adult books I chose:

My Name is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson is a carryover from last week. I have to have it read by March 29 so that I can participate in the discussion about it at a conference I am attending. It is a National Book Award winner.

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally has been sitting on my Kindle since Dec. 26. It is contemporary YA and has a sports theme.

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout has been on my Kindle since Dec. 20. It is a paranormal YA but a sort of unusual one. Our hero is an alien.

The adult books I put on this week's pile are:

Hidden by Kelley Armstrong which hasn't really been on the stack all that long. I got it Jan. 19 but haven't had a chance to read it until now. It is part of her Women of the Otherworld series and features werewolves.

Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey has been on the stack since Nov. 4 and is part of her Five Hundred Kingdoms Series. 

Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts has been on the stack since April 12. It got buried under stacks of other books and I sort of forgot about it. I love Nora Roberts and am eager to finally get to this one.

Those are my plans for the week. What about you? Any big plans?

In My Mailbox (March 18, 2012)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.

I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the wonderful books everyone gets. You will discover lots of great blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.


This week four books followed me home. Three of them are on my Kindle and only one adds to the physical mountain that is my TBR stack. All the titles are linked to Amazon where you can find product descriptions and the purchasing information. Here is what I got:

The Isis Collar by Cat Adams was the only physical book I got this week. This is the fourth in the Blood Song urban fantasy series. I really liked the earlier books.

Moneyball by Michael Lewis was a $.99 book for the Kindle this week. I am curious about it because of the hype the movie has gotten.

 

Starship Summer by Eric Brown was free for the Kindle. I like science fiction and thought this one sounded interesting.

I bought A SEAL in Wolf's Clothing by Terry Spear for my Kindle because I have seen good reviews and I really like werewolf books.

What did you get in your mailbox?