Stacking the Shelves (June 17, 2012)

Tynga of Tynga's Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. She explains at her site. She also does a very nice vlog each week showing her books.


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


I think I am going to call this one the review book edition. I am trying to read some of the books I already have and did succeed in not buying any more books this week. However, six books still got added to my TBR mountain.

A very nice publicist from Dutton contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reading Ransom River by Meg Gardiner. I like mysteries and romantic suspense and thought this one sounded really good. I was surprised to get a finished copy in the mail this week. I moved it to the top of my review stack because it will be  published on July 5.

James R. Tuck also send me eARCs for his next two releases from Kensington. I had previously read and reviewed his debut urban fantasy - Blood and Bullets. Spider's Lullaby is an eNovella. This 79 page story tells about one case that Deacon Chalk works wherein a were-spider's egg sack is stolen on the verge of hatching and a friend of Deacon's who was egg-sack sitting was kidnapped to provide the spiders' first meal. It is a good introduction to this new urban fantasy series. This one will be available on June 26.

Mr. Tuck also sent me the eARC for his next full length release - Blood and Silver. This urban fantasy series is somewhat unusual in that the main character is a man. It will be released on August 1.

William F. Brown also send me a copy of Thursday at Noon for my Kindle. This thriller was originally published in hardcover in 1989 and has just been released as an ebook. I am a fan of thrillers and liked the other books he sent me to read - The Undertaker and Amongst My Enemies.

When I found out that NetGalley had Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, I had to go there to see if I would be approved to read it. I loved A Discovery of Witches but hated that it had a cliff-hanger ending. I can finally see what happens next. This book will be released on July 10.

Finally on this list (but actually the first book I got this week) is The Hunter and the Hunted by Kelley Armstrong. This is an ebook exclusive that contains two short stories in her Women of the Otherworld series and the first five chapters of the final book in the series. It is a great way to fill the time until the final Women of the Otherworld book comes out in July. Again, I have a publicist at Dutton to thank for this lovely book.

That was my week. What did you add to your stack?

Book Review: Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

Tangle of Need
Author: Nalini Singh
Publication: Berkley Hardcover (May 29, 2012)

Description: Adria, wolf changeling and resilient soldier, has made a break with the past--one as unpredictable in love as it was in war. Now comes a new territory, and a devastating new complication: Riaz, a SnowDancer lieutenant already sworn to a desperate woman who belongs to another.

For Riaz, the primal attraction he feels for Adria is a staggering betrayal. For Adria, his dangerous lone-wolf appeal is beyond sexual. It consumes her. It terrifies her. It threatens to undermine everything she has built of her new life. But fighting their wild compulsion toward one another proves a losing battle.

Their coming together is an inferno...and a melding of two wounded souls who promise each other no commitment, no ties, no bonds. Only pleasure. Too late, they realize that they have more to lose than they ever imagined. Drawn into a cataclysmic Psy war that may alter the fate of the world itself, they must make a decision that might just break them both.

My Thoughts: This eleventh entry into the Psy-Changeling series surprised me. As this one focuses on changelings I was expecting a romance where the two people were destined to be mates as has happened in other entries. Riaz, SnowDancer lieutenant and lone wolf, met his mate only to find out that she was already in love with and married to a human. This really rocked his world and left him running back to the Pack for comfort and thinking that he could never love because his mate was unavailable.

Adria was another SnowDancer wolf who had problems of her own. She just ended a relationship that fell about because she was a more dominant wolf than her partner. The relationship had become very painful for both of them. Adria especially feared that she would have the same problem in any future relationship - love turning to resentment.

Adria has an instant aversion to Riaz when they meet which Riaz sees as a challenge. They gradually build a relationship but it is filled with torment for both of them with Riaz feeling he is betraying his mate and Adria only wanting to accept a man who will love her totally.

We also see Sienna and Hawke deepen their relationship after their mating and learn to compromise with each other. Compromise is not usually a word in an alpha werewolf's vocabulary but he is willing to try for Sienna. It helps that Sienna is an extremly strong Psy with a very dangerous and unusual talent.

And, in the background to these romances, the Psy world is being shaken up and is on the verge of a Civil War that will cause thousands of deaths among the Psy and the humans.

This was another great episode in this long running series. Being a fan of the series, I can't judge how well the book would stand alone but my opinion is that a new reader would be lost regarding anything but the main romance. Of course, my suggestions is to read the rest of the series. All of the books are filled with wonderful romances between strong people.

Favorite Quote:

It hadn't escaped her notice that the two had sandwiched her between them the entire time they'd been together. Her wolf was irritated, its hackles raised. She wasn't a pup to be protected, but a senior soldier, well able to get herself out of trouble. "Do you think Hawke will want the information circulated throughout the pack?" she asked, fighting the urge to snarl. It would be like trying to explain trigonometry to someone who'd never seen a math book. The words just would not compute in their testosterone-laden male brains.

I bought this one because I am a big fan of the series. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

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.

Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh was released on May 29 and immediately jumped to the top of my TBR stack. I am a huge fan of Singh's Psy-Changeling series and couldn't wait to find out what would happen in this episode. Here is the description that had me waiting anxiously for the UPS guy:

Adria, wolf changeling and resilient soldier, has made a break with the past--one as unpredictable in love as it was in war. Now comes a new territory, and a devastating new complication: Riaz, a SnowDancer lieutenant already sworn to a desperate woman who belongs to another.

For Riaz, the primal attraction he feels for Adria is a staggering betrayal. For Adria, his dangerous lone-wolf appeal is beyond sexual. It consumes her. It terrifies her. It threatens to undermine everything she has built of her new life. But fighting their wild compulsion toward one another proves a losing battle.

Their coming together is an inferno...and a melding of two wounded souls who promise each other no commitment, no ties, no bonds. Only pleasure. Too late, they realize that they have more to lose than they ever imagined. Drawn into a cataclysmic Psy war that may alter the fate of the world itself, they must make a decision that might just break them both.

Beginning:

Riaz caught a flash of midnight hair and a long-legged stride and called out, "Indigo!" However, he realized his mistake the instant he turned the corner. "Adria."

Eyes of the deepest blue-violet met his, the frost in them threatening to give him hypothermia. "Indigo's in her office." The words were helpful, but the tone might as well have been a serrated blade.

This is a little long but it really does set the scene pretty well though we don't know why Adria is so icy to Riaz.

Friday 56:

Sienna laughed, more comfortable with Adria than she usually was with people she didn't know well. And it wasn't because the senior soldier shared a strong family resemblance with the Riviere women, all of whom Sienna trusted. The truth was, Adria reminded Sienna most of Riley.

They both had the same quiet, unflashy confidence intertwined with an earthy warmth, the same sense of being a rock in the storm.

Book Review: Taking a Shot by Jaci Burton

Taking a Shot
Author: Jaci Burton
Publication: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (March 6, 2012)


Description: If you want to score, you have to get in the game...

The last thing Jenna Riley needs is more sports in her life. While her brothers are off being athletic superstars, she's stuck running the family's sports bar, whether she likes it or not. Then in walks pro hockey stud Tyler Anderson. As much as Jenna would like to go to the boards with him, she's vowed to never fall for a jock-even one as hot as Ty.

Ty, intrigued by the beautiful bar owner, becomes a regular. He senses that Jenna wants to do something more with her life. And as he gains her trust, the passion between them grows, as does Ty's insistence that Jenna should start living for herself. With his encouragement, Jenna starts to believe it, too...

But first, Jenna has to figure out what she wants, what she needs, who she loves, and if she has the passion and pride to take a shot at having it all-including Ty...

My Thoughts: This was another sexy romance in the the Play-by-play series. The youngest Riley - Jenna - is running the family sports bar. She is in charge since her father's heart attack. Her brothers are busy with their new loves and their sports careers and Jenna is stuck. While she loves her family, she doesn't really love the bar. Too much sports and too many athletes for her. She is determined not to have a relationship with any guy into sports. It is hard to find a guy to date since she spends all of her time in a sports bar.


Tyler Anderson is new in town. He plays pro hockey. He also gets under Jenna's skin. Even with her dislike of athletes, he has something. They have a powerful chemistry which Jenna tries to deny. However, they manage to hook up at her brother Mick's wedding. She thinks it will be just a one night stand to get her need for him out of her system but Ty isn't that eager to be gotten rid of.


They enter into a relationship very tentatively. He doesn't have any faith in relationships and hasn't since his parents' acrimonious divorce when he was fourteen. She doesn't want a relationship with an athlete. But they do get to know each other outside of bed too and find that they are each fascinated by the other.


Jenna shares a secret with him. She sings and writes songs but has never told her family. She has a dream of opening a second Riley's that focuses on music but feels she will disappoint her family by leaving the sports bar. Ty tries to encourage her to pursue her dreams but she is afraid of failure. Her fear of going for her dreams is the thing that causes the major tension in their relationship.


This was a great romance and it was wonderful catching up with Mick and Tara, Liz and Gavin and the Riley parents. It is also great seeing Jenna work through her problems and decide to go for her dreams. It was very satisfying to see two strong, stubborn people decide that their relationship was worth the fight. 


This was another entertaining episode in a series that has very spicy intimate scenes and also strong romance. I recommend it to those romance readers who like their stories hot.


Favorite Quote:

Damn Tyler for putting the idea of a second bar in her head. It was all she could think about now.

A crazy idea, one that would never, ever happen but now that it had been dredged up from the dark recesses of her dreams and fantasies folder, she couldn't shove it back down again.

I bought this one because I am a fan of Jaci Burton's sports romances. You can get a copy here.

Kelley Armstrong's first eSpecial: THE HUNTER AND THE HUNTED

I was excited to receive an email from Liza, a publicist for the Dutton, Penguin Group, which told me about a new ebook exclusive from Kelley Armstrong. I am quoting some of the email below.

"Just weeks before the final installment in the Otherworld series, THIRTEEN, goes on sale, Dutton is releasing the first-ever eSpecial from Kelley Armstrong, THE HUNTER AND THE HUNTED.

It includes two short stories—Stalked and Off-Duty Angel—as well as an exclusive and extensive first look at Thirteen. This eSpecial goes on sale June 12^th  for $1.99.

For fans of Kelley Armstrong, or even newcomers to the Otherworld series, these short stories aren’t to be missed. Once again, we are all reminded that even thirteen novels in the Otherworld just aren’t enough."

I know that I have already pre-ordered my copy of THIRTEEN and can't wait to read it. These stories will help while I am waiting for that book to arrive. Thanks, Liza, for letting me get my copy early! (I would like to re-read the whole series but I lent all of my copies to a friend who is devouring them and loving them too.)

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I am very sad that this is the last Women of the Otherworld book but I am very excited to see how Kelley Armstrong brings this series to a close. I know I will be torn between gulping down the pages to see what happens and reading slowly to prolong the experience because I know the series is ending.

What do you think? Are you also a fan of the Women of the Otherworld series? What do you think when beloved series end?

Teaser Tuesday: Taking a Shot by Jaci Burton

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 was in the mood for a nice sports romance and so I chose Taking a Shot by Jaci Burton. This is the third book in her Play-by-play series and features Jenna Riley. Jenna has grown up surrounded by sports. Her family owns a sports bar and she runs it. Her oldest brother is a professional football player, Her other brother plays professional baseball. The last thing she wants is to start a romance with a jock. Professional hockey player Ty Anderson wants to convince her to change her mind about dating athletes. Or, at least, change her mind about dating him. The other romances in this series have been both spicy and very romantic. This one should be the same.

Teaser:

"How do women walk in these things?"

"It's in our genetics. It's why women are the master species. We give birth and we can walk in heels."

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? June 11, 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 good reading week this past week. It was a busy week otherwise with finishing up the school year, packing and moving 250 miles to my summer home. I am all unpacked and settled in and can start reading and relaxing. I finished six books this week.

The adult books I read included Beautiful Sacrifice by Elizabeth Lowell, Icon by J. Carson Black, and the Love Is Murder anthology edited by Sandra Brown.

Beautiful Sacrifice was one of Lowell's romantic suspense titles. This one featured and archaeologist from a royal Maya family, an ex-Immigration and Customs agent, lost Maya artifacts and a plot involving blood sacrifice on Dec. 21, 2012 by fanatics who want to usher in a new world. It was action-packed and romantic too. My review will be posted on June 21.

Icon by J. Carson Black was one of my Amazon Vine picks. This one is a thriller about a plot to murder an actor to cash in on his estate. It was also action-packed and filled with thrills and chases over the New Mexican desert. My review is here.

I got the Love Is Murder anthology for an unusual blog tour. I will be posting and excerpt and biography of one of the authors from the anthology on my blog on June 19. The anthology was filled with great stories by authors I already read and some that I want to start reading. 

Here are the young adult books I read this week.

Whatever After: Fairest of All by Sarah Mylnowski is a middle grade fantasy about a contemporary brother and sister who are sucked into a magic mirror and find themselves in the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I particularly liked the ten-year-old main character who was a bossy older sister, who wanted to be a lawyer because of her highly developed sense of fairness, and who preferred her adventures confined to the inside of books. My review will be posted on June 20.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen was also a fantasy. This one reminded me of The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. The main character is a cocky, know-it-all who really might be smarter than everyone around him. The story is filled with intrigue and plot twists. My review will be posted on June 21.

Last, I read The Calling by Kelley Armstrong. This one was from my TBR mountain. It is the sequel to The Gathering and is the young adult connection to Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. This one was definitely the middle book in a trilogy. I can't wait to read the finale to find out how things resolve. My review will be posted on June 13.

I am currently reading Can't Buy Me Love by Molly O'Keefe. I got this contemporary romance through the Amazon Vine program and am finding it much more gritty than I was expecting. This book will be released on June 26.

On the adult side this week I plan to read The Hunter and the Hunted by Kelley Armstrong. These are ebook exclusives that I got from NetGalley. There are two short stories here and an excerpt from Armstrong's up-coming Thirteen which will be the final Women of the Otherworld story. This ebook will be released on June 12.

Darkness All Around by Doug Magee is a book I have received for a blog tour. The tour is celebrating the paperback release of this thriller. I am scheduled to do a review and giveaway on June 28. The paperback is being released on June 19.

Secret Letters by Leah Scheier is my next young adult review book. I got the eARC from NetGalley. The book will be published on June 26.

Winging It by Deborah Cooke is a dragon story from my TBR mountain. I have had this one on the stack since Dec. 7, 2011 and I want to read it now. It is the sequel to Flying Blind and tells the story of one of the few female dragons.

If I finish those, I will dig around in the baskets of books I brought home for summer reading and see what looks good. What do you have planned for next week?