A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber

Please join me at A Good Yarn! It's a wonderful little knitting shop in downtown Seattle -- a place of welcome and warmth, of friends old and new. Come and discover how knitting a pair of socks can change your life!
Debbie Macomber

Lydia Hoffman owns the shop on Blossom Street. In the year since it opened, A Good Yarn has thrived -- and so has Lydia. A lot of that is due to Brad Goetz. But when Brad's ex-wife reappears, Lydia is suddenly afraid to trust her newfound happiness.

Three women join Lydia's newest class. Elisa Beaumont, retired and bitterly divorced, learns that her onetime husband is reentering her life. Bethanne Hamlin is facing the fallout from a much more recent divorce. And Courtney Pulanski is a depressed and overweight teenager, whose grandmother's idea of helping her is to drag her to seniors' swim sessions -- and to the knitting class at A Good Yarn.

This a sequel to The Shop on Blossom Street. We meet three new characters, plus we revisit Lydia.

Lydia's boyfriend starts talking to his ex wife. Turns out Brad's son bragged he wanted Lydia as his mom and the ex wife got jealous. Lydia tells Brad she's not playing games and attempts to move on with her life.

Courtney has moved in with her grandma while her father is working in Brazil. Kind of sucks for Courtney since she has to spend her senior year in a new school. Her grandma signs her up for knitting classes so Courtney will meet people.

Bethanne is just getting over her divorce. She's been a stay at home mom so finding a job is really difficult for her. She finds her enjoyment for planning parties pays off.

Elise was divorced a long time ago but when her ex walks back into her life, she realizes she never stopped loving him.

Every one has a happily ever after and all works out in the end. I enjoyed the book. I thought I was in a reading slump but as soon as I picked up this book, I wanted to keep reading. It is one of those sugary sweet books but it was perfect for getting me out of a slump.

Grade: B+

Take A Chance on Me by Susan Donovan

Hero: Thomas Tobin
Heroine: Emma Jenkins
Category: Contemporary Romance
Page Count: 337 pages
Grade: B+

My Favorite Quote: "Lord Almighty son. That little thing looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."

From the Back Cover:

They've got nothing in common...

For animal behaviorist Emma Jenkins, romance has been at the bottom of her daily "to do" list since making it through a messy divorce. But everything changes the day six-feet-of-gorgeous Thomas Tobin walks into her office with a quivering Chinese Crested named Hairy, a canine that looks more like an underfed rodent than a dog. And that charming smile of his just sent Emma's dormant sex drive through the roof...

But animal attraction...

Thomas isn't look for a fling. In fact, he wants nothing to do with women. He just needs to know if Hairy witnessed his owner's murder. But something tells him that asking Emma to help him with the case will spell nothing but trouble--trouble in the form of serious temptation. Especially when this sexy lady makes him want to believe that anything is possible--even true love.

Fast paced, witty and uproariously funny.

That's this book wrapped up in five words. The pace of the book runs on the fast side, but that doesn't take away from the goodness of the story, the storyline is simple enough but not boring. The characters are wonderful and the story is told with such ease that it was simple enough to fall in love with this book....ya'll know that I'm a sucker for character's and this one is ripe with one winner of a character after another.

Starting with Thomas Tobin, ya'll also know that I was going to love the hero, right? haha...Thomas Tobin is a rugby playet...so he's already a winner for me, but he was so much more than "Rugby Boy" as Emma Jenkins liked to call him. He was insecure in himself after the last relationship he was in and he was left from that relationship not feeling whole and undeserving of a shot at true happiness....he learned better when he met, wholesome and prettyful, Emma Jenkins.

Emma Jenkins, was a divorcee who inherits her best friend's 12 year daughter after her best friend dies in a car accident, leaving little Elizabeth Weaverton orphaned, Emma struggles with learning to do right by Leelee and she struggles to try to keep her vetinerary practice afloat after the mountain of debt, her ex husband, Aaron leaves her with. She doesn't think that she has time to date or even wants to date, but one look at Thomas Tobin and she can't stop thinking about him...in between the sheets, and really, with a fine ass rugby player like that with washboard abs and thighs of thunder, can you really blame her?

*sigh*

Then there's little Leelee...who is left all alone in the world until she's turned over to her Mom, Becca Weaverton's best friend to raise. Her Mom wasn't the best of Mothers, with all the men she paraded around, young Leelee, she's scarred from her experiences with her Mom, all of the moving, all of the men coming before her and what not and so between Emma Jenkins her new "Mom" and Emma's laugh out loud father, Beckett Jenkins, her new "Grandfather", Leelee struggles to find a place for herself in a new town and with a new family.

The story between the three people is one that makes me all oozing with gooey tenderness. It was wonderful to read and like always, Holly struck gold for me with this book because I just loved it to pieces. My favorite character was surprisingly, Emma's laugh a minute, father, Beckett Jenkins. He had me rollin' throughout the whole book, from the beginning up until the very end. He was just one of the funniest people I've read about in a long time and I'm so glad that I read this book. I even loved, little disco dancing, fruit flying, Hairy. It was just too hot damn funny when he called, Thomas "Big Alpha" and when he "talked" to them, his thoughts on everything was a joy to read and I'm sure that you'll enjoy this book, immensely.

I'm sure that whoever reads this book will enjoy it like I did...I promise it even. This book was just the bomb diggity and I totally recommend it to all who want to read a light, funny and really really good book.

READ IT!

Oh gosh, a big I'M SORRY to my bestest blog bud, Ames for leaving her out of this book review, because it WAS Ames that told me to read this book, just last week when I was trying to decide whether or not to read this book or another book that I started, so I want to send a great big shout out to AMES and an even bigger THANK YOU for pimping this book to me last week and making sure that I read it...THANK YOU AMES! =)

A Trip to the UBS and three new ones to show...

Today I went to the UBS and traded a few paperbacks I didn't want. No worries I have a list of other paperbacks and hardbacks I'm going to list as a free for all. lol. But anyway I got three new books. Here they are....

I saw this book forever ago when I was in Walmart just passing through. It really looks good but I know it's part of a series. But like new condition in a UBS, half off? I had to get it. I'll find out the rest of the series and get it soon. Anyone read this or know the series order? I've only read one short story by JD, it was in an Antho called Unzipped with Lori Foster and other authors. Very hot!
Here's the blurb on this book:
Mia Wilde has a reputation for being too wild to tame, but that doesn't mean she's going to let someone get away with distributing provocative photographs of her. So she enlists the help of private investigator Cameron Sinclair--the one man who seems immune to her flirtatious and outrageous personality. But Mia soon learns that appearances can be very deceiving.

I've only read one book by Stef Ann Holm and loved it, Leaving Normal. I have two others on my TBR by her, I forget their titles right now. But anyway, I saw this at Borders the other night but I was on the phone with Holly and she wouldn't let me buy it, saving money for Vegas and all that. lol. Soooo when I saw it at the UBS I had to get it. Wanna know why I wanted it so bad? Well first the blurb sounds good, but also I loved the cover! The shoes the girl is wearing? I HAVE THEM! They are Steve Maddens. lol. I'm a freak I know.
Well anyway here is the blurb:
Red Duck, Idaho, may be just a speck on the map, but it's perfect for a hardworking single mom looking for a good place to start over. Arriving with recipes, ambition, a silent prayer and two teenage boys, Lucy Carpenter is ready to cook her way into the hearts and wallets of celebrities who frequent the nearby ski resort and watering holes.

But she needs somebody to put the word out -- and that somebody is Drew Tolman, former pro baseball player turned local big shot. She's heard the rumors -- scandal, women and more -- but he's the man Lucy needs on her side. It takes a little effort and a lot of decadence -- in the kitchen -- but word of Lucy's culinary talents spreads like melting chocolate.

Soon every one's got Lucy's number, but her best caller is Drew. He's eager to convince the deliciously tempting Lucy that she's the dessert he's been saving room for . . .

FINALLY! Yes finally, I've gotten it. After hearing EVERYONE, minus Holly, rave about Derek....I got his book. It freaking better be all you are saying it is! The bars up pretty high, and I just don't see anyone passing Nick in my book.
Not that any of you need it but here is the blurb:
She stood at danger's threshold—
then love beckoned her in.

In the shelter of her country cottage, Sara Feilding puts pen to paper to create dreams. But curiosity has enticed the prim, well-bred gentlewoman out of her safe haven—and into Derek Craven's dangerous world.

A handsome, tough and tenacious Cockney, he rose from, poverty to become lord of London's most exclusive gambling house—a struggle that has left Derek Craven fabulously wealthy, but hardened and suspicious. And now duty demands he allow Sara Fielding into his world—with her impeccable manners and her infuriating innocence. But here, in a perilous shadow-realm of ever-shifting fortunes, even a proper "mouse" can be transformed into a breathtaking enchantress—and a world-weary gambler can be shaken to his cynical core by the power of passion. . .and the promise of love.


Besides buying/trading books I have been reading. Why haven't I posted a review? Well I read two Sandra Brown books, if anyone knows me they know I LOVE Sandra Brown. Well the first one I read (just recently) was Seduction by Design, it didn't knock me off my feet. So instead of admitting that her book was less than perfect I moved on to another....Sunny Chandlers Return, it was better. Still not her best but better. So I'm sure you know if you read a fave and it doesn't blow you away you're never jumping up and down at the chance to tell everyone. But don't worry they will be reviewed, I'm giving them time to leave an impression. lol....

Bibliophil & Me

Okay so I know everyone has moved on to bigger and better things than bibliophil. But I still love it. I try to keep it up to date and all, and it's easy for me. I'm familiar with it and all. So anyway. Here are my statistics as of now. I actually own more cause I more than one copy of some things and such.

Titles Owned : 702
Titles Read : 245
Titles Incomplete : 7
Titles Rated : 246
Average Rating : 4.28
Titles Reviewed : 38
Titles on Wish List : 48

Total Library : 751
Total Authors : 269


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Titles Read By Year
(Not counting Incompletes)

Unknown : 124
2000 : 2
2004 : 1
2005 : 43
2006 : 75

Here's my link if anyone wants to check out the books I have, want and don't. lol. http://bibliophil.org/library/MyLibrary.php , I hope it works. If it doesn't come up as a link just copy and paste it in the address bar.

Okay Shelves Revamped!

I actually got rid of a box full of books. I'll list them at the end and anyone who is interested can let me know. But I'm telling you I don't know where some of the books came from so I don't know if there any good. It took me a couple of hours to go through them get rid of some and reorganize. I get so particular about books. So here are some pics of my "new and improved" shelves!

First we have my most visible shelf, okay so they all are but this one for some reason stands out to me. On the bottom are my JG, SEP, LH, CP, JC, and JE hardbacks. Then above is the same authors paperbacks along with LM, SA, LF, and RG. Then above them are my paranormal SK, CF, JRW, JC, and KMM.
Don't worry they are the only shelves I'm going into that much detail on, they're my faves (mostly). If you want to know any of the authors that I abbreviated just ask.


Next is one of my TBR shelves. The books under the picture (Jordon as a baby, isn't he sooo cute! lol) are stacked two deep and two high. Soooo many books to read! The book right next to them are HB's that are TBR (the shelf under JM's, yes JM has an entire shelf.) Above JM are other goodies.






These are the books up high that I want to read but know I won't get to any time soon. Sorry Dylan, but SB is up there.






Here are all my Nora Roberts and Sandra Brown books. I don't really like how it looks. To much space above them, I need to hang something there, or something. Any suggestions? lol. And those candles don't belong there, kids keep moving them around.

These are my historicals. Good Lord, I hadn't realized how many I have. And I still need to read a good portion of them. Same goes with the books under the picture (me and Josh right after we had gotten married, 6 long years ago.) two high and two deep. There are lots of goodies here though. HH, LK, JQ, KM, CD, MB, AQ and more.




And finally this is my TBR book shelf in my room. I've condensed alot, moving some to the other TBR shelf. It was getting over crowded. lol. Isn't that picture of Abby and my baby sister so cute! They look alike.




So anyway there you have it. No more book shelf pics/posts from me. I swear I'm done. I just get so obsessive and proud with my books I have to share. lol. Yes I'm the vain mama of lots of books. I'm a freak!

I know I said I'd post a list of books I'm getting rid of but I'm gonna have to do that tomorrow cause it's 1am here and I'm getting tired.

Could You Do It?

Okay I've gotten to the point where my books are being shoved every which way on my shelves cause I have no more room. I've decided it's time to condense but don't know if I can do it. There are authors that I know are good, I've heard great things about but just haven't read. I have books by these authors but they just don't appeal to me, or they do appeal but I just don't get to them. Whatever the reason. I really want to be able to get rid of them but I just can't seem to let go. Why? Because I keep thinking, one day I might want to read them. One day, then I'll be mad I got rid of them.

If I got rid of them I'd clear up this entire space.
So here are some of the authors:
Stephen King
James Patterson (I've read two of his but they were the lighter ones; Suzanne's Diary to Nicholas and Letters to Jennifer)
Dean Koontz
Robin Cook
Belva Plain
Mary Higgins Clark
Joanna Lindsey
Elizabeth Lowell
Tami Hoag
Tessa Gerritsen

I don't even know if I spelt half of their names right.

So what do you think? Should I get rid of them? Should I keep them??? What to do what to do. If any of them are really really great tell me and I'll try them. But they've just been sitting there for like 2 years. Something needs to be done.

I know that picture is all huge but I wanted you to get the full effect. Actually I was to lazy to make it smaller. Whichever.

Take Me by Lucy Monroe

Hero: Jared Viscount Ravenswood
Heroine: Calantha Duchess of Clairborne
Category: Historical
Page Count: 321
Grade: A+
Buy It: Here or here.
Jared, Viscount Ravenswood, has no choice but to honor the deathbed wish of his ailing servant. All she asks is that Jared introduce her soon-to-be orphaned daughter to the notorious and reclusive Calantha, Duchess of Clairborne. No ordinary request, for this is no ordinary child. She is, in fact, the key to the Duchess's most private secrets and to Jared's own past-one that has branded him a Lord Beast amount the ton.
But when the Viscount meets the Duchess, he finds not the pitiless dowager he expected, but a lovely and wary angel=survivor of a brutal marriage left now with only her roses and the breathtaking mystery that is her life. For Jared, to solve that puzzle is to fall in love, to make Cali believe in the impossible, and to follow the promise that comes with the most intimate whisper of all...

***I am so pissed right now, I spent a half hour writing up a review on this book and it all freaking got deleted by blogger!***
O.M.G.! Talk about a phenomenal book! I could not put this book down for a second. That is after I got over the cover, I know I know I'm a cover snob. But you know what? I never said I wasn't so lets go there for a second, shall we. Okay now. The heroine....Calantha is supposed to be taller than most women but still delicate and almost frail. The hero....Jared is called Lord Beast, he is huge, massive, he has a scar down his face and even as Calantha is tall he towers over her. So our first problem? They are almost the same height...second, Jared looks like a fruit ball, what the heck is he doing with that rose? tickling her....third, Calantha looks like a linebacker, her shoulders are freaking huge! And she is not all that pretty. And what, is Jared tickling her with the rose causing a tickle on her thigh so she has to scrunch up her skirt? Okay, done rant....moving on the the excellent book.

Calantha has learned the hard way not to show her feelings, not to get close to people and to fear men. She was married to a horrible man, that used her loved ones against her, and always belittled her. Calantha did what she could to protect herself, she cut off her friends, she built up a wall of ice around her heart so not to feel and she never thought she'd look at a man again.....that's why Jared scared her so much. Yes, all the ton feared him. But not for the same reasons. They feared his looks and his impatience. He was scared, he was huge, the debs trembled in his presence. Calantha thawed in his presence, that ever present ice around her heart melted just a little each time. She saw his scar and saw a hero, she saw his size and felt protection, which was the strangest of all. After her record with men why should a man of such proportions make her feel safe, when she didn't even know him?

Jared was a strong man in both physical stature and honor. He made a promise to his dying friend on her death bed, he would take her daughter that he has raised and loved as his own to The Angel, as the ton has dubbed her. He knows what happened to Mary to get her pregnant, and cannot help but feel that woman she wants him to introduce to her daughter Hannah is a cold hearted Bitch. He is used to the way the girls of the ton cringe in his presence and the way servants snap to attention or tremble when he's near. So when he finally meets Calantha he is shocked by so many contradictions in her character.

As Cali and Jared find truths about each other and why they have been put together, they also find a friendship that runs deep. And a mutual love for a lost little girl. But what that friendship grows to becomes endangered when someone is out to frame Cali for a kidnapping and possible murder of that same little girl. As evidence mounts against her she is thrown back into defending herself from what she hasn't done, while Jared is fighting his own battle of wanting to have faith in a woman he is growing to care so much for and believing the blanted evidence.

This book knocked me on my ass. I cried for two chapters straight! I LOVED EVERY SINGLE WORD WRITTEN!!! Cali never became that heroine that knew better and could do it all. NO she depended on Jared when need be, never put herself in unnecessary danger, and was just about perfect. Jared was the perfect sensitive alpha male. Perfect mix. The only person that annoyed me in this book was Tessa, and only a little. She does something (or says) to/about Cali that is so wrong and mean and I don't think she honestly made up for it enough. It had surprises and everything. This book is just about as perfect as they come. So go get it. Don't put it on a list, get up and go get it NOW!!! My favorite of the series!!!

Read them in order:
Touch Me
Tempt Me
Take Me

Update: My Bookshelves (with TBR shelf)

It seems everyone lately is posting pictures of their bookshelves, so I thought I'd do the same. I only have four, but they're stuffed to the gills with books. The two tall white ones are stacked 2 deep, plus the ones on the top.




They used to be nice and organized, in alphabetical order. But over the last few months I've been loaning them out, getting them back and just shoving them where ever. I'm sure within the next few months I'll get irritated by them and rearrange them again.

I'm trying out a new program here, so if some of the pics aren't available, I add them in later. I know one shelf is missing, my TBR shelf, but I'll have to edit and add it in later. :) 

Ok, here it is, the TBR shelf. I've actually read some of these, but they ended up on this shelf anyway. :)

Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

Exploring the many facets of love and friendship, New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs evokes a summer in the Catskills, where family ties clash with family secrets during lazy days and hot, languid nights . . .

Real estate expert Olivia Bellamy reluctantly trades a trendy Manhattan summer for her family's old resort camp in the Catskills, where her primary task will be renovating the bungalow colony for her grandparents, who want one last summer together filled with fun, friends and family. A posh resort in its heyday, the camp is now in disarray and Olivia is forced to hire contractor Connor Davis -- a still-smoldering flame from her own summers at camp. But as the days grow warm, not even the inviting blue waters of Willow Lake can cool the passions flaring or keep shocking secrets at bay. The nostalgic joy of summers past breathes new promise into a special place and people . . . a promise meant to last long after the season ends

I've heard some good things about Susan Wiggs from other romance readers, and my curiousity was peeked after Grace read, and really enjoyed, Table For Five. So when I saw Summer At Willow Lake at Wal-Mart the other day, I decided to pick it up.

I generally enjoy longer stories, because I feel that, if written well, we become more firmly entrenched in the story and characters, and come out feeling much more satisfied than we do when reading a short story. This book, at 498 pages, seemed like just the story I needed to get me out of my slump.

Unfortunately, the problem with longer books is that if they aren't written well, they tend to just drag on and on. This book started out well, but by half-way through, I wasn't sure SW could pull off such a long novel.

Olivia Bellamy's days at camp hold no precious memories for her, so when her grandmother informs her that she and Olivia's grandfather wish to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary at the family camp, where she spent all of her childhood summers, and want Olivia herself to oversee the clean up of it, she's none to pleased. But since her third engagement has just failed, she agrees. She suckers her best friend, Freddy, into going with her and they set out to re-create the camp as it was 50 years before, when her grandparents were wed there.

Once she arrives she's forced to hire Connor Davis, her old camp flame and the only general contractor in a 50 mile radius, to help her with the renovations. Soon after, her cousin Dare and her Uncle Greg arrive, along with Greg's 2 children, Daisy and Max. What happens after that is a journey for each of them. Olivia tries to put the past behind her and to get over the hurt Connor caused her as a child. Connor himself has to fight his own demons, those of growing up with the town drunk for a father. Daisy and Max have to come to terms with their parents divorce, and just when you don't think anything else can happen, Connor's estranged teenage half-brother shows up with his own demons to fight.

This book started out really good. The book itself starts out in 2005, and then goes back to 1991 to Connor's first summer at Camp Kioga. Then it flashes forward again, and then back to 1977, the last year Olivia's father spent there. Then we see 2005 again, and 1991 and 1997 and..well, but 1/4 through the book, I was having doubts that Ms. Wiggs could continue with the constant jumping around without losing me as a reader. I'm sorry to say that's exactly what happened.

The Good: I enjoyed the story of Julian, Connor's half brother, and Daisy and Max. Plus, I liked Olivia and Connor. I enjoyed the setting of the camp as well, since it brought me back to my childhood and the one and only summer I spent at summer camp. The storyline itself was good, too. I've always been a sucker for "The One That Got Away", though I did lose interest in it for awhile. And I'm not nearly as obsessed as Grace is.

The Bad: The development of the love story between Olivia and Connor. SW spent so much time focussing on the past that she rarely included scenes from the present. Just as we were starting to get a good feel for their relationships, whether with each other or with their family members, she's jump back in time and ruin the moment. And she never seemed to pick up where she left off. For example: Lolly (Olivia) and Connor would be just about to share a kiss when Lolly would be transported back in time, remembering something that happened when she was younger, and then when SW brought us back to the present, it would be a week later and the kiss was all but forgotten.

Which brings me to:

The Ugly: The constant jumping around. From 2005, to 1991, to 2005, to 1977, to 2005, to 1991, to 2005, to 1997, to 2005, to 1991, to 1997 and so on and so on. Had she made the current story flow as well as the backstories, this might have worked wonderfully, but it seemed to me that SW got so wrapped up in writing the characters pasts she completely forgot to write their present.

As I mentioned, she jumped through weeks at at time during the present, so we never got to see Connor and Olivia fall in love today. Instead, we learned about Olivia's past with her family and Connor's shame at having a drunk for a father, but we never saw him fall in love with Lolly, or her with him. What should have been a powerful tale of What Might Have Been, instead we saw two lost souls come together with no connection to them, or emotion from them. Some of the scenes that should have moved me to tears left me feeling very unsatisfied instead, like the emotional connection I should have had with them was just out of my reach.

Overall, the story was ok. It could have been amazing, but SW lost me in all of the jumping around.

I'm giving this one a:

3 out of 5

This is the first in her new series, and I am curious enough to read the next book, because there were a lot of things left open that I feel I need closure for.

Sarah's Seduction by Lora Leigh

On a hot summer night six years before, Brock August showed Sarah Tate a passion that would nearly destroy her. But fear and innocence drove her from his arms and into a marriage she neither wanted, nor found happiness in. Now Sarah is free and she wants that night she lost. One night, a few stolen hours to know the heat and passion of the man she never forgot. But Brock has other plans in mind. A secret, a passion, a desire his brothers share. A desire Sarah will be unable to deny. That is, if she can escape the dark designs of the stalker intent on destroying the August men.

This is the second book in the Men of August Series. The first being Marly's Choice.

The Plot: Brock has been in love Sarah for 6 years. Sarah is now divorced and she looks for a one night stand for Brock. Only Brock intends her to bring her to the August Brother's orgy. Sarah goes back and forth with her feelings, "It's just wrong" to "Well now, this might work."

Also someone is out to hurt Sarah. Someone who knows all about the August brothers.

What I liked: The sex scenes were hot.

What I didn't Like: It's bascially a similar plot to Marly's choice. Except we learn a little bit more about how the brothers were abused.

I'll probably still read the the third book though.

Grade: C- (pnly cause the sex scenes were hot. Does that make me a perv?)

An Invitation to Seduction by Lorraine Heath

Elegant Kitty Robertson is properly betrothed to a most eligible lord.
Then another man becomes intent on her seduction. How can she possibly resist?

Plot:

Kitty and Richard spot each other swimming in the sea. They are attracted to each other. They share a kiss but Kitty says, "I'm to be married." and runs off. Richard soon finds out she's marrying his best friend Nicky.

Kitty is marrying Nicky for securtiy. She loves him, but like a brother. Nicky is marrying Kitty for money. But he's not a selfish bastard, gold digger. Nicky is a nice guy. He does care for Kitty a great deal, just he doesn't love her. He loves someone else.

Richard tells Kitty to wait until the season is over to announce the marriage. He's going to court her. Kitty says no, but deep down she wants him. After sharing a heated moment, she runs to Nicky demanding he announce the marriage. Richard tries to talk Nicky out of marrying her. Nicky says sorry, I need to marry and have an heir.

One night, Richard find Kitty walking around (she can't sleep) and they kiss. What they don't know is Nicky spotted him. The next day, Richard and Nicky go sailing. There is a storm and Nicky's body is lost at sea. In trying to comfort Kitty, they make love. She ends up preggers and they marry.

Richard is then brought up on charges for murdering Nicky. Did he or didn't he?

What I liked: I really enjoyed this book. My sister in law loaned it to me. This is her favorite. I liked that Kitty believed Richard did not murder Nicky. It did cross her mind for a second, but she knew he couldn't have. She stuck by him the whole ordeal.

Even though Nicky was marrying for money, he was a nice guy. He did eventually try and do the right thing after Richard told him not to marry Kitty.

Richard was a good hero. Yeah he started to pursue Kitty while she was engaged to another man but he told Nicky how he felt about her. I give him points for that. That and he stopped Kitty from walking in on Nicky while he was with his lover. He could've just let Kitty discover Nicky. But he wanted her fair and square.

What I didn't Like: Once Kitty and Richard were married, Kitty was all "I'll share wear mounring and will always love Nicky!" Which, I get she's upset but still. She was saying those things on purpose trying to deny her feelings for Richard. But she makes up for it when she stands by her man.

So yes this story is good. First book I've read from this author. My sister in law loaned me some more so I look forward to reading them.

Grade: B+/A-

Stealing Heaven by Madeline Hunter

Hero: Marcus of Anglesmore
Heroine: Nesta verch Llygad
Category: Medieval Historical
Page Count: 370
Grade: B+
Buy It: Here

Nationally bestselling author Madeline Hunter has thrilled her legions of fans with sensuous novels of intrigue, adventure, and romance. Now she weaves a spectacular tale of an English knight, a Welsh rebel, and a relationship that would defy their world and everything they believed possible between a man and a woman...

Stealing Heaven

Marcus of Anglesmore was not at all happy about being betrothed by the king to a woman he’d never laid eyes on. So when the brooding English knight accidentally came across her in a moonlit garden, he was both surprised--and delighted. Intelligent, charming, and beautiful, she was the most captivating woman he’d ever met. But the magic of that enchanted moment is soon shattered by cold reality: Nesta is not the woman he is to marry, but her sister. Of all the women Marcus might desire, none could be more dangerous than the wild and tantalizing Welsh witch with secret ties to both rebellion and king. For Nesta, no one could jeopardize her plans more than a man who would know the secrets of both her heart...and her body. Yet the course of their lives--and the destinies of their two nations--will be forever altered as they defy everything to surrender to the most daring seduction of all....

Have you ever started a book by a new author, a little hesitant and then get thrown off reading it cause someone says something negative about said author? That's what happened to me.
I have never read Madeline Hunter, but she was so nice at the book fair I went to, and I was craving a goo Medieval book, so I picked up her Stealing Heaven. I started reading it, enjoying it but still getting a feel for it when I told a friend I was trying her out. Well my friend said she read a MH book before and it was sooo dry, she finished that book but never picked her up again. OH NO! I tried but couldn't bring myself to read anymore, I had been in a reading funk and didn't want to break it with a bad book. So Take Me by Lucy Monroe came out and I've been waiting for it. So I picked that book up and devoured it! LOVED it, that review will be up next. When I finished TM I picked SH back up and.....couldn't put it down!!!! I have no idea what book my friend read by MH but this one???? Sooooo not a dry moment! So lets get on with it....

Marcus has been commanded to marry a Welsh woman that he's never met, and he's not happy about it. Especially when said woman has been pretending to be ill to put off the marriage to him. So he steals away into her home to confront her and take what's his, to his surprise she is in the garden....in the middle of the night. He goes to her and is swept away by her beauty and her wit. They share a magical kiss and some caresses, but the light of day brings many surprises for him. The next day he goes to call on his future bride and finds the woman he shared a magical moment with the night before is none other than his intendeds sister....and the whore of his King.

Nesta should not have allowed him to kiss her, she knew that. But when he came to her so brazen she could not hold a thought. Her body called to this man, the man promised to her sister. But it was of no consequence (so she told herself) since even though her sister was promised to him she would not be marrying him. Nesta and her father (before he passed) had made bigger plans that would not be thwarted by an English Knight and a King trying to make amends.

Now when I started off reading this, I though...here we go, I've read this story line before. They are on opposing sides of a 'war' and one will betray the other, they will fight and one I will hate. But it was sooo not the case and this book seriously swept me away.

Nesta is a strong woman (no she does not have penis envy and she does not take stupid risks trying to be a man), she knows her place in the grand scheme of things and knows that even if her heart is betraying her she must listen to her head. She tells herself that the happiness of one woman, herself, is so inconsequential in what she has dedicated her life to for the last few years.

Marcus knows that Nesta has ties to the Welsh rebellion and further more knows not to underestimate her. She's pulled one over on him once and it won't happen again. But as time passes and Marcus decides to have her as his own he needs to find a way to save her, from herself and the consequences that may come of her actions if they are found out. HE knows that he is falling for a strong and honorable woman and that woman no matter what her heart is telling her will not turn her back on her cause. And he admits to himself he wouldn't be falling for her is she was a woman that would. And Nesta knows the same of him.

They come together in truces at night and sharing themselves with each other in the sweetest of abandon ... yet they know with the light of each day they are enemies. They both do what they have to and pray that maybe there will be a way for them .... one day ... but they don't hold much hope.

As the book progressed I kept thinking 'okay now I'm gonna see that one side is right and one is wrong and then I'll know who is being stupidly stubborn' but I didn't. I was just as torn as they both were. In the end neither of them turned on their honor and .... well you'll just have to read to see how they end up.

I know your wondering what happened to the sister he was originally supposed to marry, and what about the King that Nesta was said to be the whore of? Well somethings cannot be said without ruining the book....sorry.

I would have given it an A maybe even and A+ but for one reason....I never cried. I know some of you are like "WHAT???" but I feel like a book filled with this much honor and passion should draw some kind of strong emotion from me. And since it didn't I am forced to give a VERY GOOD book a B+ instead. But I still say RUN AND BUY IT AND READ IT NOW!!!

Ladies Man by Suzanne Brockmann

Hero: Sam Schaefer
Heroine: Ellen Layne
Category: Contemporary Romance
Page Count: 216
Grade: B+

From the Publisher:

The moment she spies the rugged hunk in the faded jeans at the airport, Ellen knows she should run for cover. Instead, she throws caution to the wind and plunges into a sizzling affair with the gorgeous cop. Between romantic dinners, sensual limo rides, and a perfect night of passion, Ellen is living every woman's fantasy. Until she's caught in the sights of a deranged stalker, and the divorced single mother is suddenly turning to N.Y.P.D. detective Sam Schaefer for her very survival....

Soon Sam's taking a bullet meant for Ellen, and racing against time to stop a killer from hitting his target. Keeping Ellen safe will take everything he's got. Earning her trust could be a mission impossible, as two wary hearts team up for a summer they'll never forget-and a sizzling adventure that could get them both killed...or give them everything they've ever wanted.

This was a really cute book. Very short and yet very fulfilling. Though, I've got to say that Suzanne Brockmann really loves to write those Older Heroines dating the Younger Hero's and then having issues with the age thing. This is not the first kind of story that I've read this and maybe because this book was such a short book, was why I liked it so much. Because, had I had to endure another Into the Night, I would have been majorly disappointed. Joan DeCosta got on my hot damn nerves with her constant "You're too young for me to have a real relationship with, so let's just have sex and that's it" Ugh...I got really tired of that line and that whole routine halfway through that book.

This book was different, because Ellen was upfront with Sam when he asked her why she didn't want to be with him. I liked that about Ellen, she's was a cool heroine, not very memorable though I'm afraid to say. She wasn't this spectacular heroine, but she was very likeable.

I'm glad this was a short story because it was perfect for what I needed right now, after the McKettrick read. I needed something less intense and I needed a couple who didn't fight nearly as often, this book was perfect with that.

The hero, Sam isn't my favorite hero but he was a very good one. Hot and sharp and hella charming, just the way I like them....but his sneakers? Oh hell no, that had to go. I know, it's a stupid thing to hold against a perfectly fine hero, but I couldn't get over the sneakers bit...he had cross trainers on with jeans, a button down white tee AND tie and a blazer as well...with cross trainers? Oh no, sweetie, you can do better than that and I can help you with that, you see, because in my mind I redressed you. You were wearing, slighty baggy jeans, with casual Addidas on, like the Campus or the Samoas and they were crisp and fresh and extremely white and it was paired with a button down white tee and tie, and a blazer...in my mind that is MUCH better, the battered cross trainers with the bright strike through it, yeah not feeling that so much...but hey, to each his own, so it's all good in the hood.

I liked Sam and Ellen as a unit, they were good together, they made each other laugh, they made ME laugh and I just thought their little romance was so cute, even if Ellen did bug a little with all of her, "A relationship between us could never work" crap, I loved that Sam wasn't a quitter, I loved that Sam was determined to prove to her that he loved her and I loved Ellen's kids, especially little Jamie...such a smart kid he was, Uncle Bob was the bomb too, I really liked him and his love he had for Ellen and her kids, it was cute.

This story was cute and I totally recommend this for quick, weekend reads! Good job, Suz.

McKettrick's Choice by Linda Lael Miller

Hero: Holt McKettrick
Heroine: Lorelei Fellows
Category: Western
Page Count: 448 pages
Grade: C

When news came that there was trouble back in Texas . . . Holt McKettrick left a mail-order bride and his family on the spot!
And he never looked back. He just prayed he'd be in time to save the man who had raised him as a son and keep his best friend from the gallows. He knew he'd encounter rustlers, scoundrels and thieves. But he'd never expected to find a woman like Lorelei Fellows.

Setting fire to her wedding dress in the town square probably wasn't the best way to stand her ground.
But Lorelei had had enough. She was sick of men and their schemes. All she wanted was to stake her claim on her own little piece of Texas. And with Holt McKettrick as a neighbor, things were beginning to look up. The man was a straight shooter with a strong will, a steady aim and a hungry heart.

Okay, this book started out really good and I was really enjoying it, I mean the Hero walks out on his wedding because he gets called to Texas to help his foster father from back in the day, and then he finally gets to Texas (from Arizona) to find a woman, who happens to be the heroine, burning her wedding dress, which means her wedding didn't happen either, what's not to like right? I was laughing when Lorelei was burning her dress because it had to have taken balls to do that because of the reasons she was doing it and really, I WAS enjoying the book until I got to about the 300 page mark. Then I started getting irritated. Lorelei Fellows is one of those feisty, proud heroines, the ones who is too stubborn for their own good, the one that grates on my very last nerve because they can't just back down for nothing and noone.

Ugh.

After the third time she told Holt, "I honestly, despise you." I wanted to throw the book at the wall. The storyline is a good one, but man the heroine serious irks my damn nerves, and I must be one horn ball woman because it's 300+ pages into the book and there's STILL NO SEX. Hello???? Where's it at? Bring it on, already..sheesh. The sexual sparks are flying off the pages and it's so fierce between these two that my book is about go up in flames BUT there's still no sex. Come on, LAND THE DEAL already, yeesh!

Holt, though he's a good hero, he's also getting on my hot damn nerves. He keeps picking these fights with Lorelei that is driving me up the freaking wall. With every fight that they get into, I get more and more exasperated with the both of them. It may be funny to Melina who is one of the characters in the book, but to me it's just outright annoying! Get over yourselves, THE BOTH OF YOU! And get on with the getting it on. GOSH!

Okay it is taking me TOO long to finish this book, which is probably telling you guys how long I've been working on this review.

I liked the book but would I recommend this book? I wouldn't recommend to read this book first. There were a lot of things I liked about the book, Holt for the most part was a great and fantastic hero, you could tell that really loved his daughter, Lizzie and I thought that was very endearing, however his whole picking fights with Lorelei annoyed the snot out of me, I liked Melina, I loved how she was the calm and cool voice of reason where Lorelei was concerned, Lorelei drove me right up the damn wall, it's a wonder why I even like the book, but hey, I do...go figure.

I loved Holt's brother, Rafe and can't wait to read his book, though I'll have to think about it because Holt thought about each of his brother's relationships with their wives, before the women were actually their wives and it's all a lot more of the same storylines that Holt had, with them fighting all the damn time, I don't think I can go through this again in another book, at least not now.

Other things I loved about the book, the loyalty and trust these guys had for each other. Holt, Frank and Gabe, I loved their complete and earnest belief in each other and well, it was just great to read about them.

Overall, this book was just average for me, I thought I was really going to enjoy this from the beginning of the book, but it didn't really pan out that way for me, it dragged in some places and drove me insane (I may have mentioned that fact before, *shrug*) in other places, but I did end up liking Holt and Lorelei at the end, so it wasn't bomb diggity but it was good.

And I'm done.

Into the Dreaming by Karen Marie Moning

I couldn't find a blurb online about the book. And I'm not going upstairs to grab my book to type it out.

Plot: The Unseelie King makes a bargain with Aedan ( I think that's how you spell it). Spend five years with the king and he'll spare Aedan's life and his clans. Aedan agrees. However, the king fails to mention he meant fairy years. Translates to five centuries. During this time, Aedan slowly forgets his past and is trained to be an assassin. But... at the end of the five years, Aedan is to return home for 30 days. If he is loved and he loves in return, he is free. If not, he belongs to the king.

So the Seelie Queen decides to help Aedan out. She sends an enchanted tapestry to the woman who is to save Aedan. She arranges it so the the couple will meet in dreams.

Meet Jane. She's trying to get her book published, however, the editors reject her for too much purple prose. Jane thinks by writing about the hunky highlander she see's in her dream will get rid of him. Then in the mail, she receives a tapestry. The next morning she's medieval Scotland.

What I liked: I liked when Jane "accidently" leave a few pages of her book in the hall. Of course they are the steamiest scenes. But she leaves them in hopes of seducing Aedan. It works.. kind of. For short story, it wasn't rushed. They didn't rush into having sex. Which is a plus for me.

What I didn't like: I had some questions when the story ended. For example, there is a remark that the Unseelie king had a plan. He didn't seem to upset that he lost Aedan. So I'm thinking maybe we'll get more answers in the the Fever books? I don't know.

Grade: B-

One Little Sin by Liz Carlyle

He was a scoundrel, a scamp, and a hopeless skirt-chaser. So it shouldn't have been so surprising when Sir Alasdair awoke after a night of debauchery to see a young lass on his doorstep...with a baby in her arms.

She was beautiful, brazen, and utterly bankrupt. So it shouldn't have been so shocking when Miss Hamilton accepted the rogue's scandalous proposal to move in with him...and become the baby's governess.

One little sin brought them together. But when one man's wicked charms are matched by one woman's fiery spirit, one little sin can lead to another...and another...and another....

Plot: Esmee arrives on Alasdair's door step with a child claiming her mother claims the child is his. Alasdair is in shock. He doesn't remember bedding the woman. He takes the child and Esmee in.

Ok, this book was all right. It was nothing really spectacular. Alasdair didn't really do anything for me. Esmee was.. ok. The story was... ok. Kept me interested. But what I would find hard if I were Esmee: Falling in the love with someone your mother had an affair with.

There is a little twist at the end. Wanna know? Ok.


They find out Alasdair isn't Sorcha's (the child) father. His uncle is the father. Esmee's mom lied because she wanted to throw it in Esmee's step father's face. Apparently the Uncle wasn't that much of a looker.

Grade: C-

New Jersey Romance Writers Book Fair

On saturday I went to the book fair for New Jersey Romance Writers! I went with Rene Lyons and it was soooo freaking cool. We had a blast. Well we had a blast after she found me since I got lost (nothing new) and had to pull over and her and her husband tracked me down. lol. But that's besides the point.

We get there and Rene introduces me to some of her friends she's already made. Stella, Jennifer (can't find a link for her), Bianca, and Suzette. Great women! I can't wait to try their stuff, well except for Suzette, she's a reader like me.

So we go in and Rene is jumping outta her skin she's so excited, not that I can't say the same for me, but she was so cute about it.

Oh and side note, next time I go to meet up with my VERY short friend I shouldn't wear my 5 inch heeled boots! Uggg, and I'm not all that tall to start with at only 5'4". Whatever, back to the story....

Like I was saying, we weren't sure they'd let me in since it was before the thing actually started and the authors were setting up, but I just pranced in next to Rene like I belonged. lol. We were walking around trying to find her table and at the same time reading all the other names of authors that were going to be there and trying to be all calm. Yeah, that wasn't working.

So lets get on with who was there, besides the very talented Rene Lyons.

Eloisa James~ Who was selling all books I already read so I got her to sign a cover of her soon to be released book. She was so nice. Her son was with her and he looked just like her, he must have been around 8. So I told him how handsome he was and he said something about signing it too. I don't thing Eloisa thought I'd want him to or anything but I handed it to him and told him I'd love his signature too. But then he got all shy and said no thanks. They were both so sweet and nice.

Madeline Hunter~ She was sooo nice! I never read her before so I'm standing at her table and on the phone with Holly and MH looks at me and says "trying to get your tbr list?" so I laugh and ask her what kind of books she writes and if they are series. So she's going on about them all and filling me in, then she points to one and is all "this one's medieval times" and I go to Holly "what's that really? Like A Kingdom of Dreams by JM?" and she's all "yeah, kinda" so I give it to MH and say "I'll take this one." she laughed at me and signed it to me. The one I got was called Stealing Heaven.

Jennifer Crusie~ OMG I love love love her stuff. Well Bet Me is one of my all time favorite books! EVER! So I bought Anyone but You from her and she was very nice and signed it. I also told her how much I loved Bet Me, that it was one of my top 5 favorite books (something she's probably heard a million times before) and that Don't Look Down was the first book I did a write up on here at SF.

Victoria Alexandra was also there, but the same thing went. I had all her books so I got a book marker from her. Ummmm, Mariah Stewart, who I got a book signed by but when I got home I didn't have it! Suck! I must have layed it down somewhere and left it. Sooo mad.

Joy Nash~ I had heard of her before but never read her. Celtic Fire was a book I've been eying though. So I asked her about it, and she told me all about it and the next one and we just chatted up a bit about cover art and stuff like that. She was very nice. I bought Celtic Fire.

Jade Lee~ I read one book by her awhile ago called White Tigress (I think). It was very different, set in China, and all about The Tigress. Here's what the back of her book says what The Tigress is: the Chinese symbol for female sexuality: the counterpart of the "male" Dragon: a priestess of a Taoist sect. The books are all about reaching Immortality through all this sexual stuff. Very erotic, and informative about different believes. I enjoyed the first have the second one waiting, Hungry Tigress (again I think that's the title) and I bought Desperate Tigress from her at the fair.

and at the last minute I saw...

Cheyenne McCray~ I got Forbidden Magic. The woman Suzette I meet swore she was great. So I'm holding you to this Suzette! Hear me!!! lol. She was really nice though and I told her how great her covers are. Yeah, did I mention to all of you I'm a cover whore??? lol.

So those are the books I got, it was great. I wish I could have gone out to dinner with Rene and the other girls but I had an hour drive and Josh was home alone all day and not feeling well. So you know what they say 'the bigger the men, the bigger the baby'. Soooo true. lol.

But good times were had.

OH WAIT!!! I forgot to tell you! I almost hugged Hannah Howell! No you are not seeing things I really wrote that! Yup, I was standing next to Rene at her table and she's signing this book to someone and I'm thinking "why is Rene all shaky and stuff?" then I hear Renee say something Ms. Howell and I touched the woman's arm and said "What's your name?" she says "Hannah" and I go "Hannah who?" and Rene pipes in with "Ummm, that's Hannah Howell Nicole." and I go "OMG! I didn't see you at the table with your name! I was looking for you. OMG OMG!" and she's all "Oh sorry, they didn't send my books." I was all "WHAT! OMG would you sign my shirt?" she looked at me kinda nutty but said sure and did. lol I thought the woman was going to run from me. lol. Oh and no I'm not that crazy it wasn't the shirt I was wearing, it was a shirt I bought to get signed.

(no pictures cause blogger was annoying me, and I didn't' want to do it the hard way. Yeah, yeah, I'm lazy. Go here to Rene's blog and see her's.)

Midnight Man by Lisa Marie Rice

Interior decorator Suzanne Barron's new tenant is the most dangerously sexy man she's ever met. Navy Commander John Huntington, a former SEAL (aka 'Midnight Man') works best under cover of darkness. Within hours of meeting him, Suzanne has wild, no-holds barred sex with John, then panics at the depth of her passionate response to such a powerful and dangerous warrior. Suzanne doesn't do sex like that. John is definitely someone she needs to avoid for her own peace of mind. But when killers come for her, Suzanne known she can turn to only one man. John will guard and protect her body. But who will guard and protect her body against John?

The Plot: Suzanne owns a building that houses her fledgling interior design company and some personal apartments. She interviews John "Midnight Man" Huntington as a new tenant, in both the personal and professional veins, and is immediately attracted by him. The feeling is mutual, of course, and John plans to move into more than just Suzanne's building (if you know what I mean..and I think you do). Shortly after he starts moving stuff in, an attacker breaks into Suzanne's apartment. John saves the day and then whisks Suzanne up to a mountain hideaway while the police try to figure out who's behind attack.

The Good: The sex. It was hot. I thought the sexual tension was believable and worked very well for me. I also liked John and Suzanne. Though she wasn't the most kickass heroine ever, she did hold her own. She'd never been exposed to violence and couldn't defend herself, but she held up under the strain well. And she didn't pull one of those TSTL moves and try to prove she had a bigger penis than her ex-SEAL did. Which was good.

The Bad: The timeline and flow of the story. It seemed kind of slow moving in places and bogged down with info dumps. Not only that, but I'm unsure of the actual timeline from the first page to the last, but as far as I can tell, it all happened over the span of a few days. They meet, have sex in the hallway, find out about the intruder, run away to a mountain retreat, have sex a lot, figure out the reason for the attack and head back, after having more sex....but only in a few days? Yes, I realize it's fictional fantasy, but I'm not buying it.

The Ugly: The plot. WTF? So, we have a highly-trained, very deadly former Navy SEAL who now runs his own security company. When Suzanne calls to tell him there's a guy roaming around her house, and it's obvious he's there for her and not just to rob the place, John comes rushing in and kills the guy. Which, ok. I get that. But they have no idea WHY the guy was there. None. I found it really, really hard to believe that he wouldn't try to ask the guy questions or anything. A truly well-trained SEAL wouldn't have snuck up on the guy and just killed him. He would have snuck up on the guy and got the drop on him so he could torture him for info.

Then, we find out who's behind the attack and why Suzanne was targeted and the book just got kind of dumb from there. I don't want to spoil it, but the whole thing seemed way over the top. It was like reading Cover of Night all over again. I couldn't stop rolling my eyes or scoffing at their antics.

Plus, end aside, John didn't seem all that capable. He was going to get his security guys involved in discovering what was up, but once it was mentioned we didn't hear anything about it again. Too many things were neat and tidy yet not explained at all.

Overall I'm going to say the sex was hot, the characters ok, but the storyline sucked. If you're looking for a roll-your-eyes escape that makes you hot, this is your book.

3.0 out of 5

P.S. I actually read this book in August. What does that tell you about how far behind I am with my reviews? *le sigh*

Hot Target by Suzanne Brockmann

Hero: Cosmo Richter
Heroine: Jane Mercedes Chadwick
Category: Contemporary, Military
Page Count: 560 pages
Grade: A
Buy It: Here, or Here.

When Navy SEAL Chief Cosmo Richter's mother falls and breaks both of her wrists, he applies for a month of leave to care for her. Soon it becomes clear that she's comfortable and happy with her nursing care, and needs little from him besides a daily visit.

Unused to idle time, Cosmo approaches former SEAL Tom Paoletti, founder of civilian security organization called Troubleshooters Incorporated. Tom eagerly signs him on. Cosmo has no idea that this temporary project will lead him deep into the life of movie producer and screenwriter Jane Mercedes Chadwick.

Jane's latest project, American Hero - a World War II drama that dares to acknowledge homosexuality - has raised the ire of certain outspoken groups such as the so-called Freedom Network and she's been receiving horrifying death threats on a regular basis.

On the surface, Hollywood writer Jane Chadwick and tough-as-nails Navy SEAL Cosmo Richter are polar opposites. But both have intricate facades in place, hiding their true selves from public scrutiny. When thrust together, they develop a tentative friendship and begin to let each other in. But neither has learned to trust, and they'll be many missteps before they can admit that what they've found is real love - and that their relationship is worth fighting for.

Gosh this book was really good and I'm talking really good, even after the first three times I've read this book, it was good and it continues to be good to me. Cosmo was one of the SEALs that I wanted to get to know more of because he was such a hottie, quiet guy.

You should know that I have a thing for quiet and lethal guys and if Cosmo isn't one of those guys then I don't know who is. I loved reading about the quiet and mysterious man who was deadly and lethal, a man who wasn't a talker, one who was a doer...hehe, he's a doer. I'd like to do him. hehe.

Anyway, back to the story, so Cos has all this time off since his Mom doesn't need him to care for her, so he goes to Tom to get some work, to fill in his time and is assigned to watch out for Mercedes Chadwich, big hot shot screenwriter. She goes by Jane though, just so you know. You see, Jane wrote a screen play about the homosexuality of some of the men in World War 2 and it's gotten a lot of flack from different anti homosexual organization like, the Freedom Network. So Cos is hired to keep her safe and keep the weirdo's off her set, which he does.

Personally, Cos can seriously do no wrong where I'm concerned because he's just seriously hot stuff, but I was happy to read this book, I finished it quite fast the first time I read it and this last time, I think it's gotten me out of my reading funk.

I love the discription of Cosmo too:

The SEAL chief was tall and muscular, with a lean face and pale blue eyes he usually kept hidden behind sunglasses. Yeah, he was impressively dangerous-looking -- something no one had ever been able to say about Decker, even during his own years with the Navy.

Damn, those pale blues eyes? To die for.

The book moved along at a fast pace which was great for me, since I tend to get bored really easily, but Suz did a great job, keeping the storyline flowing and her character development was pretty good. I loved the secondary storyline between Robin and Jules, gosh it was good to see Jule again, I missed him in Gone Too Far but was wrapped up in his story, which surprises me because I didn't think I could really get into a gay love story, because it's just not my thing, but I liked the story of Robin and Jules, but unlike what I'm used to from Suz, to me, their storyline didn't usurp all of my attention from Cos and Jane.

I liked reading about the behind the scenes action of a movie in the making, I liked getting to know Cosmo and I think Jane was a good heroine, not one of my favorites, but she was acceptable for Cos, not like our Izzy but she'll do for his story...LOL.

The book was great and I totally recommend this book to anyone who wants a good romantic suspence to pass the time...this one doesn't disappoint.

Grace says:

After Dylan's rave review and a push from Ames, I quickly scooped this one up from the library and found myself drawn back into the SEAL series. It had the action and humor, which I've always loved, and distinguishable and loveable characters that stick with you, even after their happily ever after. I can't say enough good things about SB's talent, because darn..her books are just fab!

Now since Dee has already given you a run down on the plot, I'll just add my thoughts on the story. I've always been intrigued by Cosmo when he was introduced in earlier books, but I never shared Izzy's love for the particular SEAL. But now, having read his book? Oh Izzy girl, I do see the attraction. *wink* He's quietly lethal, impressive and fierce and yet, there's a vulnerability about him that makes him human. Sometimes, he stumbles with his words when he doesn't feel in his element but in the next second he's back to being in control, decisive and very much intimidating. But not to the point of being an overbearing alphamale jerk. In fact, he was amazingly patient with Jane and didn't flinch at apologising if he was wrong. Oh, and lets not forget his sense of honor, generousity and love for his mama without being a push over. Gotta love that.

I thought it was cool to have Jane putting on a facade for the world to see, and then to have Cosmo strip her down to her core to see the real Jane. Not the Jane who wore distracting sexy outfits to get her way or the sexpot who pretended to be with a different man every week to keep her profile up, but the real Jane who would rather be comfortable in an oversized t-shirt and boxers than wear anything remotely sexy to bed. It was good to see Cosmo get through her defenses and vice versa.

As for the subplot with Jules, I really enjoyed it! It was great to get a deeper look into his character beyond being Alyssa's best friend. The only thing that irked me regarding this, was that Jules didn't get his HEA. Call me a romantic sap, but it just didn't feel right, leaving him hanging like that. Poor Jules.

Anyway, this was a great romantic suspense read and one I recommend, especially if you've read the prior books in the series. :)

Verdict: B+

The reading order:
The Unsung Hero
The Defiant Hero
Over the Edge
Out of Control
Into the Night
Gone Too Far
Flash Point
Hot Target
Breaking Point

What Makes A Classic A Classic?

I started reading A Whisper in the Dark by Linda Castillo tonight, and in the first chapter, the heroine gets a shipment of books. She pulls out some classics and actually gets teary-eyed over them (sound familiar, anyone?) and it made me start thinking...what makes a classic a classic?

Dance Chica from Insomnomania is hosting a Classics Book Club. But why did she choose the ones she did? What separates Pride and Prejudice from Lover Awakened? Do they have to be old? Written in a flowery style?

Would Dean Koontz or Stephen King be considered classic authors? Why is Hemingway at the top of the list? What makes The Portrait of Dorian Grey a classic?

I'll be honest and tell you that I've always been a sucker for the classics. The first time I got sucked into a Dickens novel I was a goner. I try to read a classic at least once a month, and I can't wait to share them with my children when they get a bit older. Already I've started reading them some of my favorites from childhood: Anne of Green Gables, Oliver Twist, The Wind in the Willows.

But why do we consider these classics? I went to Ask.com and typed in "What makes a classic novel a classic" and got tons of related links, but none that really defined our exact criteria for what makes a classic stand-out above all others. Some sites said it was a book written before the 20th century, some said books that are on classic literature lists with universities, others said literature was labeled "classic" by the accolades it received.

At Turn Another Page, Valeen and Jennifer have been hosting a Remember the Classics book discussion for romance novels. Where did they get their list of titles from? What makes The Bride by Julie Garwood a classic? Judging by the standards I read about all over the internet, a classic is old, right? True, JG started publishing novels more than a few years ago, but I'm sure she'd take offense if we said her writing was "old".

So tell me, what makes a classic 'classic'? How about in the romance community. When someone says "Classic romance novel" what do you think of? Why? Because they were pioneers for the genre?

What about contemporary authors? Do you think 30 years from now J.R. Ward or Sherrilyn Kenyon will be considered classic authors? Why or why not? What other authors do you think WILL...or won't?

Enlighten me.