Friday: Lion's Heat by Lora Leigh

Happy Friday everybody!!

 

Book Beginnings

 

Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Becky at Page Turners. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

 

 

The Friday 56

Rules:

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
• Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
• Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

The book I am spotlighting this week is Lion's Heat by Lora Leigh. This is her latest in her Breed's series and tells the long-awaited story of Jonas Wyatt who has been an important character in most of the other Breed books.

First sentence:

Jonas Wyatt, Director of the Bureau of Breed Affairs, and a Lion breed with secrets that could destroy him, stared at the door through which what was sure to be his greatest weakness had just stepped.

Page 56, fifth sentence:

"Brandenmore made his move on the files he believes I had. He used the baby against her and attempted to force her to steal them for him."

I have just begun this and am enjoying it greatly. I think it is about time that Jonas meets someone who isn't intimidated by him. So far, Rachel is giving as good as she gets.

 

Review: Broken by Shiloh Walker

Broken

Author: Shiloh Walker

Publication: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (March 2, 2010)

Description: Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter for a private detective agency in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He's drawn to her-but he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else.

Sarah McElyea is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She has a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can't risk telling him the secrets she's hiding.

But Quinn must get closer to Sarah when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and both Quinn and Sarah will have to expose their true feelings-as well as their fragile hearts-if their love is to survive.

My Thoughts: This was a fascinating and intense read. Quinn is brooding. He can't forgive himself for actions that he feels caused the death of a woman he might love. He is also trying to overcome a childhood filled with abuse. He doesn't want to trust anyone. If no one gets close, he doesn't get hurt.

Sarah can't trust either. She is on the run for very valid reasons. She never knows when she will have to leave again. She has to keep secrets and not get close to anyone. A very ruthless man is looking for her. But both wounded people fall in love. And, naturally, they hurt each other on the way to true happiness.

This book follows Fragile which is the story of Quinn's twin brothers search for love. Both were very good romantic suspense novels.

Challenges: RYOB Challenge

Short Take Reviews (4)

Black Jack

Author: Lora Leigh

Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1 edition (March 2, 2010)

This is the story of a woman now named Lilly Belle who is an agent. She became one after her father was killed and she was knocked out and put into a car for a staged accident. She left her old name and forged a new life with her trainer Travis Caine. Travis is also on his second life. But the danger to Lilly didn't end and there have been two more attempts on her life. She now has amnesia and has forgotten her life as an agent. Travis has to keep her safe and keep her returning memory hidden. This was a little confusing because I have not yet read the first three books in this series.

Spooky Little Girl
Author: Laurie Notaro
Publication: Villard; Original edition (April 13, 2010)

This was an ARC I received as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. At first I was uncertain about the book because it was so far outside the genre I usually read. Lucy is kind a of thoughtless screwup when the book begins. She takes a small inheritance and blows it on a vacation in Hawaii that doesn't turn out as she had hoped -- crummy hotel and sleezy men. When she returns home her fiance has thrown all her stuff out on the lawn and she has no idea why. He won't talk to her and is holding her dog hostage. She goes to work the next day to find that she had forgotten to do a bank deposit and is now accused of theft. Her boss also demands a drug test which she fails and doesn't know why. With her life spirally out of control, she goes to visit her sister and nephew. Once there, she takes the bus to the unemployment office and is accidentally hit by the bus and killed. She wakes up in ghost school and learns that she has to make restitution before she can move on to her afterlife. The bulk of the book talks about her experiences after ghost school when she is assigned to haunt her ex-fiance's house and his new girlfriend (who just so happens to be the person who got her fired from her job.) There were many humorous parts to the story. I liked that Lucy was so devoted to her dog. I liked how the story resolved. My initial reaction was wrong. This was a humorous and touching exploration of second chances.

Challenges: RYOB Reading Challenge

Tease Tuesday: Spooky Little Girl by Laurie Notaro

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!

My tease is from the ARC of Spooky Little Girl by Laurie Notaro that I received as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.

Nola especially liked the episodes in which women got dental work or were awarded some sort of facial implant for their suffering. Episodes in which, upon the big reveal, the accountant, who'd never noticed the victim before now suddenly did, thus guaranteeing courtship, marriage, and a litter of offspring with unfortunate bone structure. 

 

Road Trip: Patricia Briggs

My friend Bev and I took off Saturday morning on a road trip to attend an author signing. Patricia Briggs was at Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore in Minneapolis. I am a big fan and have all of her books. Bev is a new fan. I hauled with me a large bag with 18 of her books; my friend had three and purchased a few more while she was there.

We had a beautiful day for our trip. We left Rochester at 10:45 and arrived at Uncle Hugo's at 12:15. I had done some internet research to find us a good place for lunch. (Thank heavens for the internet! How did we ever find our way around before it?)

The old Sears building just a block away from Uncle Hugo's has been turned into the Midtown Global Market with more than 50 locally-owned independent businesses and inside is a great Middle Eastern Deli called the Holy Land Grocery & Deli. If you are in Minneapolis, I highly recommend it. After eating pitas overstuffed will all kinds of goodness, we headed to Uncle Hugo's.

We arrived at 1:15 to find quite a line. While I held our place in the line and shared book talk with the people around me, Bev cruised the store to find all sorts of wonderful books. I had made a list of books I wanted to buy while I was there.

I finally got a chance to talk to Ms. Briggs and get all of my books signed at about 2:10. Ms. Briggs was wonderful. She was friendly and talked extensively to everyone as she was signing her books.

This one is Patricia Briggs and me. I received lots of compliments on my reading tee shirt (which happened to be a gift from Bev.) I also purchased a new tee shirt while I was there and will be proudly wearing my Uncle Hugo's tee shirt in the future.

This is Patricia Briggs with Bev.

I couldn't leave without doing some book shopping. I bought Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs so that I could get it autographed. I had already purchased it and read it on my Kindle. I bought Mage in Black by Jaye Wells, Nine Gates by Jane Lindskold, and The Shapeshifters by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. I added a signed hardcover of The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold to my collection too.

We had hoped to be able to do some more shopping at the Midtown Global Market because they had interesting clothing, bags and jewelry but needed to get back to Rochester so that Bev could get to work by 4:30. We made it with 10 minutes to spare. We are already planning another road trip. (Robin Hobb is coming to Uncle Hugo's in May.) Hopefully next time we will have more time to explore.

Next time I'll take more of my own pictures. Between my shopping, my huge bag of books to be signed and my purse, I just didn't have a hand free to take my camera out and use it for more than a couple of pictures.

In My Mailbox (April 11, 2010)

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 cool books everyone gets. You will discover lots of wonderful blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

This is what I got this week.

I added these books to my collection. I have already read them. While I was at Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Book Store I saw the signed, hardcover copy of a book that I love but only have in paperback. So I had to buy The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold.

I also purchased a print copy of Soulless by Gail Carriger this week. I have it on my Kindle too.

I purchased Twilight the Graphic Novel by Stephenie Meyer with the intention of donating it to my HS Media Center after I read it. But I really enjoyed it and will be keeping it. I plan to add the book to my next HS book order to get a copy for my students to enjoy. My review is here.

The book signing was for Patricia Briggs. I got all of my books by her autographed (about 18 of them including the anthologies that also have a story by her). I bought a copy of Hunting Ground because I originally bought and read it on my Kindle.

While I was at Uncle Hugo's I also bought Mage in Black by Jaye Wells. The first book in the series Red-Headed Stepchild is already somewhere in my TBR stack.

I also got the latest in the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher this week. Changes looks like it will be excellent. I have never been disappointed by a Jim Butcher book.

I read a really great review of Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean and decided to buy it this week too.

Lion's Heat by Lora Leigh has been on my wishlist since I first heard about it. It was published this week and I couldn't wait to buy it and add it to my TBR stack.

This is also the week that Changeless by Gail Carriger came out. I read it the day I got it because I had to know what came next for Alexia Tarabotti (now Lady Maccon.) It was a great story. My review is here.

These were free additions to my Kindle this week.

I chose two classics -- Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad and Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.

I also added two suspense titles -- The Real Enemy by Kathy Herman and The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross.

A friend has convinced me that I will love the books by Moira Rogers. I had already downloaded Crux: Southern Arcana Book 1 as a free book. Crossroads is the sequel to that book.

I really liked the blurbs for the Sanctuary series and so I bought Cry Sanctuary, Sanctuary Lost and Sanctuary's Price by her too.

I couldn't wait for my autographed paper copy of the latest Liaden book by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. I had to download it from Baen Books to my Kindle so that I could read Saltation immediately. My review is here.

I also bought Werewolf Sanctuary by Eva Gordon to get my weekly werewolf fix and Eternal Hunter by Cynthia Gordon just because. I loved the cover and the blurb sounded good too.

That was my week. What ended up on your TBR pile?

Review: Changeless by Gail Carriger

Changeless

Author: Gail Carriger

Publication: Orbit; Original edition (April 1, 2010)

Description: Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it. 

My Thoughts: This was another fun romp in an alternate Victorian England complete with steampunk and supernatural creatures. Alexia is off on adventures again when she investigates the case of somthing causing supernaturals to become ordinary humans. She is supposed to be the only thing that can make supernaturals human and she has to touch them to have an effect. Meanwhile Conall is concerned with the pack he left which is having difficulties in Scotland. His many times great grandaughter wants to become a werewolf to put the pack in order. Conall is reluctant because most of those who attempt the change die in the attempt.

Alexia joins forces with a French woman inventor who dresses in men's clothing and may or may not be trusted. There are many attempts on Alexia's life - which Alexia tends to find rather commonplace and not worthy of too much attention.

I enjoyed this romp. I loved the humor and the many descriptions. Alexia's friend Ivy provided much of the comic relief with her absurd hats and absurd romance as she falls in love with Conall's valet. Naturally, this is not done.

I am eagerly looking forward to Blameless to find out what is next for Alexia and Conall.

Challenges: RYOB Challenge