Hot Ticket by Various Authors.

Here's a book of short stories that caught my eye on the Doubleday website. I bought it thinking that some short stories about hunky athletes (one of my favorite kind of men) would be just what I need at the time that I bought them. I wasn't all that impressed with some of these stories, I'll tell you that.

Lucky Charm by Julia London
Hero: Parker Price
Heroine: Kelly O'Shay
Grade: C

Uninhibited radio host Kelly O'Shay loves to take on the egos of overpaid sports stars. then she goes after hot-shot shortstop Parker Price, whose losing streak takes an unexpected turn when he goes head-to-head with his lovely nemesis-on the air and off.

This story was a great big ball of corn. I mean, we have a whiny hot baseball player who keeps whining about how the talk show radio host keeps talking about him (badly of course) on the radio and then he blames her for her poor performance on the field? Yeah, how is a whiny baby hero going to make me drool with delight? He didn't. I just didn't really care for the story, it was too short and just really corny.

Same Rink, Next Year by Deirdre Martin
Hero: David Hewson
Heroine: Tierney O'Connor
Grade: C-

I'm not sure what it was about this story that I just couldn't get. It fell flat for me, I couldn't really connect with the characters and I really wanted to because this story had such good potential to be such a cute story but the dialogue felt forced and the witty characters and most especially the talk between the hockey players seemed...silly. I know, that word silly gets me in trouble with rabid fangirls but I can't help it...that's how I saw it, it may work for others but it just didn't work for me. I read the chats between David and his friends as, not good. It didn't flow well with the personalities of the hockey players, it just didn't fit. But David and Tierny were good together, although once while they're getting jiggy, I laughed because well, while they're going at it, he says stuff like, "Better?" and "You like that?" and it totally just takes me right out of the scene...but it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, it just wasn't the best either. So while the story could have been cute, it just sort of is silly.

You Can't Steal First by Annette Blair
Hero: Juan Santiago
Heroine: Quinn Murdock
Grade: C-

Famous for his big numbers at bat, Juan Santiago's struck out only once in his life--with Quinn Murdock. Now the Red Sox star player is getting one more shot with the sexy sporting goods magnate. But first he has to prove he's not just playing the field.

I don't know what's wrong with me but I did not really care for this story either. I mean, Tiago and Quinn are long lost lovers who have this big misunderstanding and go all these years without seeing eachother or talking to each other and then Quinn's friends throw her on his train thats heading for Orlando for Spring Training and on the train, they fall in love again? Hmm, okay, but the dialogue between these two, can it get any cheesier? Tiago didn't have as much game as he thought he did, if he said some of the things to me that he said to Quinn, I would have laughed at him. I didn't get how him and her kissing making it on the front page of the newspaper was funny...it seemed childish and juvenile. I just didn't get this and I didn't feel any kind of connection between Quinn and Tiago, though one thing that was a sure winner for me in this book, was the name Tiago...I like that Latin lover name, it's yummy!

Can't Catch This by Geri Buckley
Hero: Josh Weldon
Heroine: Lindy Hamilton
Grade: D/C-

Lindy Hamilton got her two-timing boyfriend right where it hurts--by stealing his pricey tickets to the Florida Moccasins football game. When she discovers that the really interesting action is in the stands, it proves to be the hottest season opener on record...

Okay, I think this was the worst of all of them. I really wanted to like ONE of the stories a whole lot because I love sports and sports stories like SEP's were such winners for me, but this one fell right on it's face for me. I was bummed because I felt like, ehhh, I can't wait til I'm done with this book so that I can read something else already. The problem that I had with this story was I didn't care for Lindy and Josh fell in love wayyy too fast with her, I didn't see them connect anywhere and yet faster than you snap your fingers, they were in love..it was unbelievable and I just didn't enjoy the interactions between Josh and Lindy. I thought the nephew was cute though, but that's about it. I thought it was really weird that Josh's cousin used Lindy as his lucky charm considering he had never met her or talked to her, it was hooky but whatever...so yeah this story was just blah for me.

Overheard by Maya Banks.

Hero: Luke Forsythe
Heroine: Gracie Evans
Grade: C

Gracie Evans wants a Valentines she won't forget. Luke Forsythe plans to give her exactly what she wants.

Gracie Evans is a woman tired of the men in her life not satisfying her in bed. She's had a string of boyfriends, but none of them have come close to satisfying the vivid fantasies she has. Two weeks before Valentine's Day, she breaks up with her latest boyfriend after a night of lackluster sex.

When her good friend, Luke Forsythe, overhears her talking to their friend Shelly about what she really wants, he's stunned. And very turned on. Gracie thinks there isn't a man alive who can satisfy her in bed. Luke aims to prove her wrong.

Dude, this book is extremely hot and extremely vulgar. I may be new to this erotica business but this was some wicked hot steamy stuff.

Luke and Gracie are in the same circle of friends. They've been friends for like ever and Gracie has just broken up with her latest boyfriend, who just can't satisfy her in between the sheets, so one weekend, their circle of friends are at their friend Michelle's house for a barbeque and Gracie and Michelle are talking in the kitchen and Gracie is enlightening Michelle on what happened between her and her latest break up.

She tells Michelle, in detail what went wrong and what she wants, what she's tired of, then she goes on and tells Michelle a few of her fantasies. Luke, who was sent into the house with a pot of food for the women to do what they wanted with, overhears Gracie talking about all of this and instead of making himself known, he totally eavesdrops on their conversation and realizes that...hey, Gracie is a freaky girl, I'm a freaky guy, I can totally get down with Gracie. He hears Gracie tell Michelle that she thinks there isn't a man alive who can handle her in the bedroom, or keep up with her.

And his eyes are opened to a relationship thats been in front of him all this time. So he does what any hot blooded sexy stud would do.

He proceeds to pursue Gracie and prove to her that there are men out there who can hang with her but none of them will hold a candle to...him.

And prove her wrong, he did. Every fantasy she talked about, he brought to life and one of her fantasies was a threesome with two men.

Who does he ask to be the other man in their threesome? ANOTHER friend in their circle of friends. And he totally agrees. Now if that doesn't change the way of things in your circle of friends, I don't know what will...but these three friends, get down and dirty and while some of it was really hot, a lot of it made me hurt for Gracie. I mean, at one time, she had one in the front of her filling her with ooey gooey heaps of pleasure and then the other was in the back, and well...can you just imagine how much ramming that'd be? I'm sorry if I'm being crude or whatever but goodness, I visibly blanched at the thought because....OUCH!

Overall, this story was just one big horny love fest between two friends. There really wasn't much of a story, just a whole lot of sex and while my horndog ass can appreciate it, it really didn't do much for me.

I enjoyed Haley's Cabin a lot more than this one, but this wasn't exactly horrible...just not enough, I guess. I wanted more storyline and more character development, but it was okay.

Shadow Dance by Julie Garwood.

Hero: Noah Clayborne
Heroine: Jordan Buchanan
Category: Contemporary
Page Count: 400+
Grade: C

The eagerly anticipated novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author who sets the standards for romance. For years fans have clamored for a book starring beloved recurring characters Jordan Buchanan and Noah Clayborne who have been featured in past Garwood novels. Here they are in a very sexy and highly entertaining tale.

At last, we have Noah Clayborne's book, in which he falls madly in love with his best friend and partner's sister, Jordan Buchanan.

They're at her best friend's wedding, where Kate (the best friend) is marrying Jordan's yummy brother, Dylan. Kate's younger sister, Isabel gets a visitor, who says he's a relative of theirs on their MacKenna side. He tells Jordan that it was a disgrace that a MacKenna would willingly marry a Buchanan and because she got annoyed with the weird guy, she tells him that maybe she'll do her own research to see if there's any truth to the tales that the nutty professor was spoutin' at the wedding. While on the dance floor, Noah informs Jordan that she needs to get laid and loosen up because she's pretty much...boring. So because she doesn't need money right now after the selling of her computer chip and company which made her stinking rich, she tells him that she's going on a treasure hunt to find some lost treasure.

And she goes to Texas to find the guy and copy his research for Isabel and start her own research, to try to make sense of the stories that the crackhead professor was talking about. Nothing has been going right since she got to Serenity but that doesn't deterr her from her mission, well until she found the nutty professor dead in her trunk.

Ewww...

Because it's aparent that someone is trying to frame her, she calls her brother Nick, who's an FBI Agent and instead of getting Nick, she gets his partner, Noah Clayborne. The odious man who got her in this mess anyway, if he hadn't told her that she was boring and needed to be spontaneous, she wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. But she tells him what happens and he tells her to call the cops, report the body and then wait for him and Nick to get there, they're on their way.

So she hangs up with Noah, calls 911 and while she's on the phone with 911, she hears sirens which she thinks is the patrol unit sent to check things out, but while she's on the phone with the 911 peeps, the sheriff's car comes to a screeching halt and the two Dickey brothers jump out and one of them, hot head JD socks her in the face and stomps on her phone, ruining it.

Guilty much?

A bunch of crap happens, Nick and Noah finally show up and Noah sticks to her side like glue and more bodies show up in her trunk and it makes for a pretty good story but I was still a bit disappointed.

Not in the story so much but in the fact that I didn't get to know Noah like I thought I would have. There wasn't much character development where he was concerned and I was looking forward to that. At the end of the story, I still felt like Noah was a secondary character, sort of how I felt for Noah Maitland in Judith McNaught's Night Whispers.

Also, the love match between Noah and Jordan felt kind of rushed and forced. It was like, one minute they were just friends and then the sleep together and BAM, they're in love. It happened too quick for me which rendered it a bit unbelievable, but that's just me. I didn't see it coming and because of that I didn't really care for it.

Aside from all of that, the book was just okay. It wasn't her best, it wasn't my favorite, I was disappointed that this was how Noah's book turned out...I was just hoping for more and it fell short of that mark.

But one things' for sure...I'm looking forward to reading the next one, does anyone know if JG is going to write Walker or Aiden/Cordie's book? Gosh I hope so.

The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe

Hero: Christoff Langford (aka Kit)

Heroine: Clarissa Rue Hawthorne (aka Rue)

Category: Historical/Paranormal

Page Count: 324 pages

Grade: C

Dubbed the Smoke Thief for a series of daring jewel thefts, Clarissa Rue Hawthorne didn't expect the dra´kon leader himself to come to London dangling the tribe's most valuable jewel as bait: the Langford Diamond. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, had to catch Clarissa before anyone else did- or risk exposing the entire clan to the world of ordinary mortals. He never expected that the outcast halfling he pursued would have a proposition of her own to save the dra´kon- a proposition so dangerous, so tempting, that Christoff will find it impossible to resist: to join forces with her.To be honest, I only bought this book for two reasons: 1) the cover looked cool 2) it has received many positive reviews. I really wanted to love this book. I was itching for a good paranormal at the time and I was hoping this would be another series I could reread over and over.

Unfortunately, I just could not get into it, and I felt like toward the end I had to force myself to finish. It didn't reach the point to where I wanted to throw the book against the wall, but nothing exciting happened to keep me reading in the wee hours of the morning. The concept was great, it's what intrigued me in the first place. The hero and heroine are both dra´kons, species that can shift forms from human to smoke to dragon, and back. The prologue was longer than what I'm used to, and I felt that Abe has a talent for creating a history of the dra´kon race for the readers. The problem was that the prologue was just too long. By the fifth page of the prologue I was lost. Abe went through too many generations of the dra´kon and there were too many descriptions and names of places that were never brought up again in the story.

The first few chapters started out great. Rue was a child who always loved Kit from afar, but maintained a low profile in her clan. Kit was destined to be the Alpha Male, loved by all the women. Then Rue decided to stage her own death in order to escape the clan, start a new life and bury her past. When Kit catches Rue trying to steal the Langford diamond, the two decide to join forces in order to find the real thief. Rue agrees to help in exchange for her freedom, that she not be punished for staging her death and abandoning the clan. For me, this is where the story started to fall flat. Kit finds out that Rue is the first female dra´kon in four generations who can "Turn," or shift to the dragon form. This automatically makes her the Alpha female, and now Kit must have her.

I didn't feel any romantic connection, mostly because Kit just wanted Rue since she was Alpha female. He didn't seem to care why Rue valued her freedom so much. All he cared about was claiming her. Case in point...."Rape or seduction. He would take either." Yah, I didn't really like reading those words.Another thing that I disliked (though some may disagree) was the elaborate descriptions of the hero and heroine when they were in smoke or dragon form. For example, "His talons found her shoulders and hips...For a few wondrous minutes, as long as the wind cradled them, they were one creature, four wings, two tails, his head by hers, their cheeks touching." I personally, don't find dragon descriptions very romantic. I will probably read the next book in the series, The Dream Thief, for the sake of finishing the series. However, I don't think my expectations will be so high like they were for The Smoke Thief. I would be curious to know what other readers thought of this book. For me, it wasn't bad, but it fell short of my expectations.

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner.

Hero: ??
Heroine: Candace "Cannie" Shapiro
Category: Chick Lit
Page Count: 300+
Grade: C+

At first my eyes wouldn't make sense of the letters. Finally, they unscrambled. Loving a Larger Woman, said the headline, by Bruce Guberman. Bruce Guberman had been my boyfriend for just over three years, until we'd decided to take a break three months ago. And the larger woman, I could only assume, was me.

Cannie Shapiro never wanted to be famous. The smart, sharp, plus-sized pop culture reporter was perfectly content writing about other people's lives on the pages of the Philadelphia Examiner. But the day she opens up a national women's magazine to find out that her ex-boyfriend has been chronicling their ex-sex life is the day her life changes forever.

Loving a larger woman is an act of courage in our world, Bruce has written. And Cannie — who never knew that Bruce saw her as a "larger woman," or thought that loving her was an act of courage — is plunged into misery, and into the most amazing year of her life.

Radiant with wit, bursting with surprises, and written with bite and bittersweet humor, Jennifer Weiner's deliciously readable debut novel reaches beyond Cannie's story and into the heart of every woman. Gut-level real and laugh-out-loud funny, Good in Bed celebrates the courage of the human spirit, and features an unbelievably funny cast of supporting characters, the strangest dog you'll ever encounter, and a heroine you'll never forget.

This story was told through the eyes of Candace "Cannie" Shapiro, who is a larger woman. She decides that she wants a break from her boyfriend of 3 years, Bruce and then 3 months later, she reads a long with everyone else in the nation, his true feelings for her....in an article about loving a larger woman in one of the nation's leading magazines, sister to the likes of Cosmo, Vogue and you know, those kinds of magazines.

This entire book was Cannie's journey to self discovery and to self love, I guess you can say. We read how Cannie handles herself after the break up and it's many stages, we see Cannie come to grips with the disappearance of her father, we see her grow up basically. And let me tell you, for a few parts of the book, it was slow going for me but I just kept right on truckin' through the book because I was too busy trying to figure out who she ended up with at the end of the book, wondering if Bruce was ever going to get his and I just wanted to know how Cannie turned out.

She turns out great, which can be expected in these books, everything worked out for the best for Cannie, her life turns for the better by the end of the book but everything was dealt with, she dealt with everything that came her way and sometimes I wanted to clobber her over the head with a bat to get her to shut up, other times I cried with her because I felt her pain. Jennifer Weiner did a great job of getting the emotions to leap right off the pages in this book, overall I enjoyed this book and know that those of you guys that decide to read this, will like it.

I did.

But Nicole, you might not like this book since she's a fat chick and she does find love.

Hot Stuff by Carly Phillips

Hero: Brandon Vaughn
Heroine: Annabelle Jordan
Page Count: 377 pages
Grade: C

New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips introduces a sizzling new trilogy — The Hot Zone — the three Jordan sisters are all grown up, and the sports world will never be the same!

Annabelle Jordan and her two sisters were orphans in frilly dresses when they went to live with their sports-lawyer uncle in his world of locker rooms, bookies and gambling.

Now the girls are publicists in their uncle's firm, the Hot Zone. Despite her upbringing Annabelle is allwoman. She's naturally drawn torealmen — like her latest client, ex-football legend and businessman Brandon Vaughn.

The chemistry is potent, undeniable,irresistible. But Annabelle soon realizes that Brandon is much more than just another jock. And that she'd better hold on tight if she doesn't want to lose her heart.

Hmmm.

This book was your average romance novel with a really hot hero, a great heroine and witty secondary characters. The storyline was a real basic storyline and though I enjoyed it for what it was, this wasn't the best romance novel ever.

It was cute and it made me sigh and I'm not mad that I read it but it was very predictable and I knew who the villain of this book was right from the very beginning.

Brandon Vaughn is one of those hot hero's that has you drooling from page 1 to page 377, he's one of those hero's that you want to take the challenge on of showing him just how worthy he is for love because of course he doesn't think he is. I enjoyed getting to know him and I enjoyed seeing him get his happy ending in ALL things, not just with Annabelle. I was very happy with the way his story ended. It was good stuff.

Annabelle Jordan is the oldest Jordan sister and she has had issues with her parents death that has stayed with her into adulthood and though she was a good heroine, she wasn't by any stretch my favorite. I just couldn't really relate to her or her problems so because I didn't understand her or why her issues were still issues when she's a grown ass woman, I just didn't really feel much about her.

I enjoyed the secondary characters very much. Nick and Mara? Love them. Yank and Lola? LOVE THEM. Sophie and Mick? I love them too! I loved the relationship between the three Jordan sisters and thought that it was just great to see sisters so bonded together if that makes any sense. LOL.

Would I recommend this book? Sure, only if you're looking to read something very fluffy, funny and light. This was an enjoyable read but it wasn't as engrossing as other books that I've read.

The Lyons Lady by Julie Garwood

Hero: Lyon, Marquis of Lyonwood
Heroine: Christina Bennett
Category: Historical Romance
Grade: C

Christina Bennett had taken London society by storm. The ravishing beauty guarded the secret of her mysterious past until the night Lyon, Marquis of Lyonwood, stole a searching, sensuous kiss. An arrogant nobleman with a pirate's passions, he tasted the wild fire smoldering beneath Christina's cool charm and swore to posess her...

But the fiesty and defiant Christina would not be so easily conquered. Mistress of her heart and of her fortune, she resisted Lyon's sensuous caresses. She dared not surrender to his love...for then, she must also forsake her precious secret...and her promised destiny!

This book was just okay for me.

I thought it was funny in parts and I really dug Christina's quirky personality. I loved how the story begins with Christina as the only white child in the whole Indian community. I loved how loyal Christina's Mom and her brother were in keeping her and giving her the family that she needed when she lost her real family. I also loved seeing Christina's father slowly coming to love the little white girl and then when she's shipped to England and she meets Lyon and he's trying to keep her from eating the shrubs and all that, I think it's cute.

I think I really liked Christina more than I did Lyon though, because Christina was one tough ass heroine. The way she cornered Sybil in the library with Lyon ready to defend her, oh gosh, I was rollin'...Julie Garwood does a good job of finding the humor that goes with a romance to make it enjoyable as well as endearing.

I don't know what it was about Lyon that just didn't grab me the way that the other JG heroes have. He was fine, really he was...he was strong, hot and great in the sack and yet, I couldn't like him the same way I love, Connor, Alec, Gabriel, Royce and all of those others, but he was just okay to me.

Meh, sorry...

This book was really good, but it's not my favorite Julie Garwood, as good as it is, it just wasn't enough to sneak into my Top 5, or my Top 10...oh well, it's still a good read though.

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.

Dylan's Turn: Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward

Hero: Zsadist
Heroine: Bella
Category: Paranormal Romance
Page Count: 434
Grade: C
Buy It: here, here or here.

Even within the vampire brotherhood, Zsadist is feared. Still bearing the scars from a tortured past, he is renowned for his unquenchable fury. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion-until he rescues a beautiful female from the evil Lessening Society.

Whoa.

Where to begin with this one.

I mean, this book was going so great for me, and then little things started happening in the story and in the book and I was getting just a little more frustrated and a little more frustrated.

Did J.R. Ward forget that she was writing romance novels when she started getting toward the end of this book? Did she skip the part of Romance Writing 101 when they taught the class on THE BAD GUYS GET KILLED, NOT THE GOOD GUYS? Didn't she ever hear the saying, "If it aint broke, don't fix it?"

What in the world would convince her that killing off a perfectly good character would make her a sensational writer?

She already done ruined one of the books in this series for me. How in the world am I going to get through Tohr's book, all the while he's falling in love with ANOTHER WOMAN? I just don't think I've got it in me. She done alienated me, and I had such high hopes for this book.

Not that I didn't like BELLA AND ZSADIST'S story, because I loved their story. Zsadist was less whiny that Zarek and more apologetic than Zarek and he was a fantastic hero. I can't help but compare Zsadist to SK's Zarek, because theyre SO similiar, maybe a little TOO similiar. But, of the two, Zsadist was the less whiny...but they're both hella hot, so I can forgive JRW for copying a character and some other stuff...well not really, but meh whatever.

This book flowed really well, a lot of things happened, a lot of things shouldn't have happened, but above all, the story of Zsadist and Bella was really good. I enjoyed their story a lot.

Did ya'll know who the Reverend was before it was unveiled? I did. So there wasn't much mystery behind that one.

Okay, one other thing that bothered the hell out of me throughout the book. Why in the hell does J.R. Ward keep bringing up the whole gay thing? I mean, if gay people are into the whole guy on guy thing, then by all means, handle your business, but I really don't care to read for it ALL THROUGHOUT a book, especially if these manly men are supposed to love women. If they love women, then quit writing about three grown ass manly men, who love women and what not, waking up in bed together, NAKED! Who the hell does that? Is that supposed to be sexy to me?

Hell EFFING no.

All the gay undertones surrounding the Brothers of the Brotherhood, totally turned me off...the series? I'm not sure. But it sure did make me wonder about V? I mean, Phury insinuating that maybe V was into that shit? Hello???? You are writing for women, women don't like men who like other MEN, or are INTO THAT KIND SHIT...I mean, let's be real now. Even though I know that Phury was into Bella for a little bit, I did get to wondering if he was SURE that he was into girls, because the way she writes these men, she's writing them into a bunch of gay guys and that's fine and dandy if she was writing gay romance, but shit, I like men who LOVE women, I like to read about men who LOVE women, I don't like to wonder if hot and sexy Vishous likes Phury or even Butch for that matter.

Because that scene with Vishous feeding Butch his blood toward the end was just a little too gay for my tastes. There were too many of those "You know how I know you're gay?" moments for me in this book. Even with Phury and Zsadist laying in bed together, spooning it up, was a little TOO GAY for me. If I'm being honest here, what Alpha Male (you know, the kind of males these guys are supposed to be) is going to want to cuddle up next to their damn brother?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

NONE.

There were a lot of things I HATED about this book, what happened to Wellsie and even what happened to Sarelle, I HATED, wondering where the hell Tohr is and about John's well being, I HATED, I HATED all of the gay shit in here too, but the overall story was really good. I enjoyed seeing Bella win Z over, I enjoyed all of the Z and Bella scenes, I enjoyed getting to know Z even though his character reminds me of too many damn characters from other books, it kinda sucks because he's just not that original for me, I can forgive Z for that, but Im not so sure about JRW.

This book gets a C from me, because though I enjoyed the story, there were too many things that I wanted to rewrite and just flat out HATED.

Confessions of An Ex Girlfriend by Lynda Curnyn

Hero: ???
Heroine: Emma
Category: Chick Lit
Grade: C-
Buy It: here, here or at an independant bookstore near you, to search your independant bookstores, click here.

Ex-Girlfriend Emma Carter has a lot on her mind. Her boyfriend got a life — in L.A. Her hairdresser found God. And that extra ten pounds of "relationship flab" she acquired while falling in love with a commitmentphobe has just put her out of the running for new romance — or so she thinks. But before Emma can get on with her life, she's got to face a few startling truths about being single in New York City . . .

Confession #5: Marriage suddenly seems like a social disease.
Even the latest bride in my family — my mother — has put me to work in the service of her wedding day. What about us non-bride-to-be's? I wonder now. Working in the warped little world of wedding planning has only led me to one conclusion: If you don't get married in this world, you get nothing. Once, in an editorial meeting, I jokingly suggested that a woman should get a bridal shower when she turns thirty, wedding or not. Everyone looked at me as if I were some kind of nut. I am 31 years old; am I not entitled to free Calphalon yet?

Whoever thought that baring your soul could be this good?

This book started off slow and then the more confessing Emma did, the more annoyed I got. This book didn't really pick up, I think the only reason I kept reading it was to find out what happened between Emma and Derrick. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens.

I can't say that I had that heady glow around me after I finished this book, there was a lot of whining, a lot of depressed feelings and it was just meh to me. Even Emma's friends, Jane (she got on my nerves a lot in this book) and Alyssa was meh to me too.

This book didn't really do much for me, it was not bad but it wasn't all that either. Do I recommend this book? Not really...find something else to read because this I didn't really like and couldn't really get into.

I guess I didn't like this, because Emma's character was just a little sad and pathetic for my tastes. When I found out my ex boyfriend cheated on me, I didn't go into a depression the way Emma did, I man bashed, I hated my ex boyfriend, but I didn't swear off of men, I didn't do a lot of the things that Emma did and yeah we all grieve in different ways, but Emma's way of whining and confessing, was all just too stupid for me and I just didn't really care much for her methods of dealing with the break up...I don't like reading about weak heroines and throughout most of the book, Emma was weak, so yeah I just couldn't get into this book.

This is a pass for me.

Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie

Hero: Nick Jamieson
Heroine: Tess Newhart
Category: Contemporary Romance
Page Count: 249 pages
Grade: C-

Tess Newhart knows her ex-boyfriend Nick Jamieson isn't the right guy for her. He's caviar and champagne, she's take-out Chinese pot stickers. He's an uptight Republican lawyer, she was raised in a commune and thinks Cinderella is politically incorrect. He wants to get ahead in business, she just wants . . . him — only not the social-climbing Nick, but the sweet, caring, unbuttoned-down Nick.

And Nick wants her, too, but there's no way Tess is about to play second fiddle to his obsession to make partner. Yet somehow she finds herself agreeing to play his fiancée for a weekend business trip that could make or break Nick's career. And while he's wrapped up in convincing Tess that he needs her in his respectable world, Tess is doing her best to keep her left-wing opinions to herself and her hands off Nick.

It took me almost two weeks to read this 249 page book.

It wasn't because the book wasn't good, because I guess it kind of was. For me, I'm really into character development and just related and connecting with the characters. If you give me some great, fantabulous characters, I'll be one happy camper and more willing to overlook subtle gaps in the storyline or horrible spelling errors, I'll even forgive you for confusing me with the color of the heroes eyes (can anyone tell me what color eyes JG's Alec Kincaid has? hehe). If I like the characters, if I love the characters, I'll let you off easy on the other stuff.

In this story, I could not stand Tess Newhart. I'll probably be in the minority here but Tess got on my hot damn nerves. There was nothing about her that I liked. Her ideas and just her way of life was not something that I could relate to. I spent most of the book irritated as all get out at her because she was just so in your face with everything, she made an FBI case out of every little thing mentionable and after a while it just started getting on my nerves. By the end of the book, however I was able to overlook a lot of the things she did but it took me forever to get to a place where I actually wanted to finish the book.

Now moving on to the hero, Nick Jamieson. I liked him well enough I guess, he was a lawyer but he's nowhere near the best hero that I've read about but he was a likeable sort. He was trying to climb the success ladder by making partner in his law firm, only problem was, it was a family firm he was working for and he was not family. How the hell is that going to work you ask? His friend, Park, who he went to college with IS family and soon Park's father who is running the company will retire and Park will make Nick partner then, until then, they have to land the Welch account in order for the old man to retire.

Nick has to keep his reputation squeaky clean in order for him to climb the ladder of success, and Tess Newhart is as squeaky clean as a dirty sock. She's vintage shops and second hand furniture and he's Gucci penny loafers and three piece suits, they are so different that it's painstakingly obvious that they would not suit.

But Nick needs this account and Tess has a way of helping him get it, so against his better judgement he goes after her again and charms the socks off of her. He realizes that he missed her more than a little bit and he gets her to agree to go to a dinner with Welch and stand in as his fiance'.

As the story progresses, Nick and Tess fall into a relationship they both don't want to walk away from, but what I can't understand about myself is that the things I hated about Tess, I hated even more than Nick was trying to change her against her will, without her permission, just sort of steam rolling over her and for some reason, it irritated the ever living crap out of me.

Another thing that I couldn't stand abotu the book is Tess' stupid reason for being pissed off at Nick in the beginning, she was mad at him because he didn't want to have sex with her in his car, because he wanted to have sex with her in his bed. So because he preferred to make love in a bed, she just thought he was the most unsuitable person in the world? Umm, hello? Yeah, okay so sometimes that's probably a good idea, but if the wrong stick shift is getting in the way, why NOT take your activities somewhere, where he can better enjoy your body and you his? I just thought it was the most retarded thing for her to be pissed about and then the whole piano thing?

I'm just not seeing how it was so very important for them to do that? I don't know, I didn't hate this book enough to give it a D or an F, because I did enjoy the story but the characters got on my hot damn nerves.

Would I recommend this book? Meh, not really...read it if you're broke and you've got absolutely nothing else to read but if you want something to sweep you up in the story then keep this at the bottom of your TBR pile, there's other JC books that are better than this one.

Apocalipstick by Sue Margolis

Hero: Max Stoddard
Heroine: Rebecca Fine
Grade: C

From the author who brought you Spin Cycle and Neurotica comes a hilarious new novel about falling in love, hating your job, and getting what you want out of life---without ever mussing your lipstick!

When it comes to men, beauty columnist Rebecca Fine always seems to be on the scruffy end of the mascara wand. But all that changes the morning she meets Max Stoddart, her new colleague at the Daily Vanguard. With his upscale suit, Hugh Grant hair, and obscenely sexy good looks, he’s a single woman’s dream come true. Finally, her grandmother can stop surfing the Net for eligible Jewish males. But is Max the catch of the decade---or just a major babe magnet?

Meanwhile, Rebecca’s old high school nemesis has resurfaced, a former blond bombshell called Lipstick who is now engaged to Rebecca’s widowed dad. And it’s good-bye to articles on toe cleavage when a hot tip sweeps Rebecca to the center of the Paris cosmetics world, where a miracle anti-wrinkle cream is about to be launched. That is, until she blows the whistle on a scandal that could set the beauty business---and the future of world peace---reeling. Will Rebecca win the recognition---not to mention the Pulitzer---she yearns for...and get the man of her dreams? Stay tuned.

I've been uber busy this week at home so it was hard for me to make time to read when I was so tired when reading time came around, but I finished this book last night and I enjoyed it, very much. But there were too many things that bothered me about the heroine in this story, she's not exactly TSTL but she was SS, stupid sometimes. LOL.

You see, the story is about Rebecca Fine, Becks for short. She's the beauty columnist and she hates it, she's trying to find her one story that will shoot her career to the top but because she needs to pay bills, she takes a job as a beauty columnist to make ends meet.

This is where she meets Max Stoddard, he's the new guy and he's dreamy and he took her desk and she doesn't care because he asked her out and so many things come up that when they finally get together, everything else falls to the background and they have a magical night which ends up with Becks in the hospital and her telling Max, while drugged up of course that he's sexy as all get out. It's funny, the things Becks gets herself into is the same crazy things Bridget Jones gets herself into, stupid things that can't be helped because she just lands into stupid situations, so because of those stupid situations, the book can be funny but it can be annoying because just once in the book, you kinda want things to just go normally for Becks, but of course they don't.

The thing I liked about this book is Becks friendships and the closeness of her family. I'm really drawn toward family oriented books and books about friendships because I'm all about the happy stuff, Becks relationship with her Dad was great and her relationship with her Grandma is even greater, the stuff her Grandma does to get Becks married off seriously cracks me up. Beck's Dads relationship with his new fiance is even better.

You expect things to happen a certain way and it totally doesn't but the way SM writes out this story, it totally works.

Between all of the bad shit that happens to Becks and the retarded things happening to her best friend Jess with her husband, Ed...you can't help but laugh at this book, it's funny, it can be downright annoying when Becks is forever doubting Max but at the end it all works out, the whole story comes together and SM ties all the loose ends into a pretty little bow and presents the world with this book.

It's cute, it's not the best book I've read this year, not the best book I read last year either, but I'm not mad that I read it, I don't feel like I've wasted my time reading it, I'm glad I read it but I probably won't read this story again for quite a long time, I liked the book, I liked the characters, I even liked Lipstick.

What I didn't like about the book was really, all the shit that Becks went through, I get it, stupid things happened to her, but she kinda brought a lot of the shit on herself, she lies, she assumes and she just pay attention to shit and it all comes falling down on top of her dumbass head, all the fights she got into with Max, could have been avoided if she just asked him what the hell was going on, instead of charging full steam ahead and dropping him without anything and then I hate, hate HATE when heroines try to get back at the hero by making them jealous, it's stupid and petty and it gets on my nerves so I was pissed that it happened in this book.

Would I recommend this book? Yeah, if you've got it and you've got nothing else to read, then yeah read it, but it's not a OMGOSH YOU GOTTA READ THIS BOOK! I did like this book better than I liked SM's Spin Cycle. But that's about all the good stuff I can write about this book. Read it or not, it's not a big deal.

But I liked Max.

Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? by Melissa Senate

In exchange for a free $100,000 dream wedding, she'll be featured in a trendy magazine as "Today's Modern Bride." So what if the advertisers dictate what she wears, eats, and registers for? From the gown (it has yellow feathers) to the reception hall (vampire chic) to the rings (what metal is that?) to the prime rib (tofu!), Eloise knows that what really matters is the groom (cold feet?). All she has to do is keep a wedding-planning diary (heavily edited) and have her friends and family ooh and ahh over her leather veil in photo shoots.

Friends, Eloise has: bridesmaids Jane, Natasha, Amanda and oddball co-worker Philippa, the magazine's "traditional (ha!) Bride." Family, she doesn't have. Eloise's mother passed away, her father took off years ago, her too-cool-for-words brother is either climbing Mount Everest or scamming a rich older woman in Beverly Hills and her fiancé's family is certifiable. So between choosing rubber bridesmaid dresses and worrying about the photo shoots, Eloise finally asks the question: Hey--whose wedding is it anyway?

Hero: Noah Benjamin
Heroine:: Eloise Manfred
Grade: C

This book is the follow up to another book that I read earlier this year by Melissa Senate called, See Jane Date. This book is about Jane Gregg's best friend, Eloise Manfred.

Eloise is getting married to the man of her (and mine) dreams, Noah Benjamin. Noah is an investigative journalist who is always on the go, traveling from one place to another, covering all of the latest hot stories. And though, he's almost never around, there is no doubt that he is in utter love with Eloise.

He is a regular guy but a really good guy who loves his fiance.

And his fiance has got some serious issues and he knows about them all and loves her anyway...what more could you want in a guy, huh?

Not much.

But Eloise has got a lot of emotional baggage that she's got to deal with before she can finally settle down and be a wife to Noah, she's got to deal with the fact that her brother is a leave at the drop of a hate type of guy, the kind of guy that they (Eloise and her brother) can't stand, as it's the kind of guy that their father is and she's also got to come to grips with her father who left their family the day before her fifth birthday.

So with all the finding herself that Eloise did in this book, it was at times trying to get through because you wanted to scream at her to just hurry up and get over it and move on, but at other times you felt sorry for her and wanted to give her a hug and tell her that everything will be alright.

As soon as she comes to grips with all of her issues with her family, with her boss and with the wedding that is being planned for her that she doesnt really want, everything falls into place and the story ends happily, which I liked.

The characters in this story spilled over from See Jane Date and so it was good to see the gang back together again, Jane, Natasha, Amanda and it was nice to meet all of the new characters as well, Eloise's Grandma is a character that I really liked in this book, Eloise's brother, Emmett was one heck of a character as well, there were times, a LOT of times that I wanted to poke his eyes out and tell him to get over himself and grow the heck up but I got over it all at the end. Charla was a good character and a great friend to Eloise, Noah was also great, he had that hero thing down pat, just uber cute and super sweet and everything nice.

The book was cute and cuddly and all things nice when it wasn't driving me bloody mad with all of the stupid crap that Eloise thought and did, I wanted to slap her silly when she didn't stand up for herself and what she wanted with her stupid boss but again, I got over all of it at the end, so all in all this was a good book.

A treat.

Veils of Time, an Anthology

Title: And The Groom Wore Tulle
Author: Lynn Kurland

Scottish nobleman Ian Macleod falls asleep in a medieval dungeon-and awakens in a room filled with long white dresses. Jane Fergusson longed to create great fashions, but instead toils in a bridal shop. Will their fateful meeting over dressmaker's shears lead to bloodshed or bliss?

Hero: Ian MacLeod
Heroine: Jane Fergusson
Grade: C

This story was too short but sweet.

Ian MacLeod does unmentionable things that lands him in the hands of his bitter enemy, the Laird of the Clan Fergusson. He wills himself more or less (actually we don't know how he does this but he does) and finds himself in Modern day New York, the year is 1999. He thinks he's in heaven or in limbo, so he tries to dress the part to impress St. Peter, but since he's in the middle of a Wedding Gown parlor, he puts on one of the wedding gowns and I laughed.

He meets Jane Fergusson and she agrees to help him even though she thinks he's psycho. (of course, don't they always think they're psycho but still help them anyway?) Between the two of them, they set off to find Ian's family.

It was a really sweet story, I would have liked like one more chapter of Ian and Jane falling in love because everything happened so fast for me to really believe the story, it just seemed implausible that Jane fell so fast for someone she thought was a complete lunatic two weeks before, but I guess that's what love does to a person.

I did like watching Ian learn about the future appliances, him eating Cheetos was a riot, the elevator? hilarious...it was a good, sweet read, I just wish there was more.

Title: The Con and the Crusader
Author: Maggie Shayne

Fleeing thugs, con man Jack McCain jumps into a well- and into the past. Mistaken for a criminal, he's headed for prison, until he's freed-with a wedding proposal! The widow Hawkins marries him to get help for her farm, but the attraction between them makes Jack wish he'd never escape this sweet captivity...

Hero: Jack McCain
Heroine: Emily Hawkins
Grade: B+

I enjoyed this story much more than the Lynn Kurland story, but I like westerns, I love cowboys and farm hands, all of those things don't bother me none. To see Jack really having to earn his keep, and keep his word was just all around sweet.

His relationship with Emily was a strong one and it showed in the short story. Even though this was a short story, it didn't end abruptly, I didn't get the feeling that it was rushed or anything, the story flowed great with the pace the author set and everything just worked.

The change we see in both Emily and mostly in Jack was fantastic to read about, to see Jack developing relationships with Emily's kids was touching and very endearing and then with him learning how to be a hardworking husband, while he's out there plowing the fields in the hot summer sun, LOL it was just good to see that he became someone his grandmother would be proud of and to see Emily learning to lean on others for help and for it to be okay with her gave you a sense of satisfaction at the end when everything worked out for the best between them both.

So far, this is my favorite story in the anthology, Jack was a stud and Emily was sweet. A very good story.

Title: A Bride Most Common
Author: Angie Ray

A time machine hurtled Lucy Taylor back in time to Regency England- and into the middle of a wedding to a dashing gentleman! Could she change history to save her future, without falling in love with a handsome new husband?

Hero: Kieran
Heroine: Lucy Taylor
Grade: D

This story I couldn't get into at all. I didn't think anything was funny, I didn't like the whole time travel idea behind this story, it just all seemed so unlikely and unoriginal, I just didn't really like the whole time travel machine concept that Angie Ray came up with for this story, because well the hero never got to see and fall in love with LUCY TAYLOR, there was nothing wrong with Lucy and yet because of the way the story played out, Kieran, the hot stud muffin didn't fall in love with Lucy, as she really was but by Lady Cynthia, who was totally different from Lucy.

It just didn't pan out for me, I was bored with the story, I was unhappy with her whole time travel concept and I just didn't really care for anything in the story. I didn't connect with either Lucy/Cynthia or Kieran and because of that, I didn't really care for the story.

I didn't like it.

Title: Conyn's Bride
Author: Ingrid Weaver

On the eve of her wedding, museum curator Alanna Moore is cataloguing antiquities, when suddenly a Celtic warrior appears-claiming to be her long-lost betrothed! Can she listen to her heart, and remember a love that was destine to be?

Hero: Conyn ap Rhys
Heroine: Alanna Moore
Grade: C

This story was all cheese and fluff. But it was cute, I thought that Conyn's undying love for Alanna was a little over the top but hey, you do crazy things when you're in love I guess. This story was really short, really sweet and just cute. Nothing grand or anything, I didn't get an instant connection with the characters but I didn't hate it and it was just that....cute.

Before I end this review, I'd like to send a million thank you's to Mailyn from Imaginary Origin for sending me this book, I really did enjoy it and I'm still fantasizing about Jack McCain, thanks a bunch sweetie, love ya tons!! =)

To Sir Phillip With Love by Julia Quinn

Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her and more.

Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking and wondering and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled and when he kissed her the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn't help but wonder could this imperfect man be perfect for her?


Isabel Says

If you remember from reading Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, Colin suspected Eloise of being Lady Whistledown because her fingers always had ink stains. When Colin asked her about it, she got all defensive. You may also remember, the night of Violet's party, Eloise disappeared.

Turns out she has been corresponding with Sir Phillip Crane, the widower of her distant cousin. Because she knew her family would probably think she was nuts, she ran off during the party. They have been writing each other for a year and Phillip asks Eloise to visit him. He basically proposes to her in the letter. Eloise at first thinking um... no. But then Colin and Penelope get married and she realizes why not?

Sir Phillip Crane is a botanist. He likes working in green house. He'll spend hours in there working on experiments and what not. But turns out he's using his green house to escape his children. He has twins, Amanda and Oliver from his first wife. They are quite the handful. When Eloise arrives, a battle of pranks occur. Eloise can hold her own having grown upsiblingsibilings. But it all comes to a halt, when Eloise falls on a trip wire and bruises her cheek and eye.

To make matters worse, Anthony, Benedict, Colin and Gregory (who is 21 or 23) arrive at the house. They of course think Phillip beat Eloise, jump to conclusions. They back Phillip into a corner and are ready to just thrash him. Anthony pulls Eloise aside to have a talk with her. When they come back from their talk, they are drunk. Yup, drunk as skunks and talking about a tavern wench with big boobs. I thought this scene was humorous.

The only problem I have with this book is that Eloise never found out who Lady Whistledown was. She was one of the people trying to figure out. For those of you who have read the book, didn't think Eloise should've been told. Or there should've been something worked in with her finding out who she was? That's my major problem. I'm hoping with JQ writing the second epilouges, she'll write that scene.

This book is all right. I like when Phillip finally realizes he needs to be a father to the children and see's Eloise as something more than just a wife. Cause really, he wanted someone to raise the kids and just be there.

Grade: B-

Dylan's Review:

Hero: Sir Phillip Crane
Heroine: Eloise Bridgerton
Dylan's Grade: C+

Alright, so this story did end up being a good book. But for me, it was really slow to begin and it took me a lot to get through the first like, third of the book. I guess it was because I couldn't relate to Phillip all that much, I guess it's because I basically judged him too harshly in the beginning, when he didn't take an active part in his children's life, I hated how he just threw them on their nurses plate and had them take care of them, so that he didn't have to. I hated how he didn't take the time out of his botany duties to check on his kids. And another thing I hated most about him is that one of the main reasons he married Eloise, goofy and fun loving Eloise from the other books, is so that she can be a mother to his kids, first and foremost.

That really irked me, I know it shouldn't have bothered me so much because in that time period, love matches weren't really popular, since everyone married to get rich or merge two great families together. I guess, because Eloise was a Bridgerton and everyone else in her family, I didn't want anything less for Eloise.

The children, Oh MYLANTA! I would have paddled their behinds if I was their mother, glueing their governesses hair to the pillow? planting a trip wire so that Eloise falls and gets a black eye? What the bloody hell was Phillip thinking, NOT to discipline his children?

Of course, everything makes sense in the end, but by all that's Holy I wanted to pummel him for not taking them aside and showing them that they can't go on as they have been.

The book, did however pick up as soon as The Bridgertons came into the picture. Oh how I loved how the Bridgerton boys came in and rained on Eloises' parade. It was comical, really. I loved when the boys initiated Phillip into the ranks. I love how they all hate his guts one minute and then Anthony and Eloise come back and they've gotten him drunk and talking about Big Boobs Lucy! Too frickin' funny. I also love how real their family behaves.

I can totally see my brothers reacting the same way that Eloises brothers acted in this book, there have been times when my brothers didn't want me to play the same games they were playing, especially word games since I always best them at it, I swear adding The Bridgertons into any story makes the story all the more enjoyable.

And I, for one was so glad to see more of Benedict. I love this man, maybe it's because of how big he is, I don't know, but for some reason, for me, it's always been about Benedict Bridgerton, no matter how much I love Colin and Anthony, for me, it's always been Benedict who had my Bridgerton heart! I heart Benedict. LOL.

I loved seeing Anthony again, to see him is to love. He's done well by his brothers and sisters and you can totally tell that he has nothing but love for all of them, my heart went out to him when he freaked out about the bee comment, Eloise threw at him while on her walk with Phillip. I loved seeing his distress over his little sister, I loved seeing him yell and scold Eloise and I loved how he made her feel special after their talk. He may have come down on her hard, but there was no mistaking the love he had for his sister.

Whoa, Gregory is a grown man now, woo hoo...watch out now!

Colin, oh my hell, this man can eat like there's no tomorrow, I loved him in his story and I loved him in Eloises as well.

For me, the ending made the book so much better. The way JQ brought all of the problems to the front and solved them all, made me love the book. I loved how Phillip handled the evil Nurse Edwards (that was her name, right? I forget that biznatches name!), I loved how he came around and wanted to be a better father to Amanda and Oliver. I also loved how he loved Eloise and the grand gesture at the end? What a way to use his botanist skills, LOVED IT! And I also loved the way he brought it all back to the way they met...through letters! That was so cute!

When they're all in the dress shop and out on that family outing at the end had me totally sighing and oohing and ahhing, it was just the perfect way to end the book.

Now, my gripes? What happened to Marina? Why on earth was she the way she was? Was she born melancholy? Did something happen to her that made her the way she was? We never found out, hello? I need to know this...and then also, like Izzy, I hated how Eloise never found out who Lady Whistledown was, she should have found out dangit!

But this book was good, not as good as the other Bridgertons but I'm not mad that I read it. I'd recommend this book, because it's part of the series, and because the end is worth the rest of the book.

The Duke and I
The Viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From A Gentleman
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
It's In His Kiss
On the Way to the Wedding

Without a Trace by Nora Roberts

Hero: Trace O'Hurley
Heroine: Gillian Fitzpatrick
Grade: C-

Without a Trace.

A life of adventure and intrigue has left Trace O'Hurley bitter and world-weary. But in the innocent arms of spirited damsel-in-distress Gillian Fitzpatrick, Trace finds himself longing for the life-and family-he left behind.

This is Trace's story, Trace is the oldest brother of the O'Hurley clan who didn't have dreams of making it big as a family act on stage, his dream was to see the world and he did, in spades. He saw the good things and the bad things the world had to offer and has become weary of the life he is leading.

Circumstances put Trace in the path of a young physicist, Gillian Fitzpatrick who needs Trace's help to locate her missing brother and her niece. Trace has sworn off the life he led which landed him in the middle of nowhere, Mexico in a cantina where he wants to drink himself into oblivion while thoughts of his family he left behind many years before haunt him, making him yearn for a glimpse of them.

Gillian needs his help to get the only family she has back and the sparks fly when they get together. The chemistry between these two is scorching hot and fun to read. This story starts out a whole lot faster than Chantel's story did and I enjoyed it far more than Chantel's story, making Trace my second favorite O'Hurley, after Abby of course.

There were times when I wanted to strangle Trace for his way of thinking where Gillian was concerned, he was always trying to tell her how things should be when she's a grown ass adult, she knows all there is to know about you and yet she STILL wants to be with you, why can't you get over yourself and just let it be. Let things happen, he kept telling her she was stubborn, but she was no more stubborn then he was and right until the very end he was still running from her so by the end of his story I wanted to throttle his ass, but the saving grace of this story came when Gillian joined forces with Trace's sister, Maddy (from Dance to the Piper) to help her bring Trace home.

The homecoming of Trace O'Hurley was a long time coming. You read about Trace in all the other stories and you could feel how much his family missed him and for him to finally come home for good and make peace with Frank, his father was a great thing to read about. His reunion with his sisters was such a good thing and the way the whole series came to an end was fantastic. It made up for all the crap that Trace put me through in his story...so yeah it's a good story and it's a great family series and you should read it because it's cute.

Skin Deep by Nora Roberts

Hero: Quinn Doran
Heroine: Chantel O'Hurley
Grade: C-

Chantel O'Hurley has parlayed talent, breathtaking beauty-and indominable will-into stardom. But though she needs Quinn Doran's protection now, the sexy, cynical P.I. Utterly infuriates her. . .threatening to melt her icy façade and ignite her heart.

This is the follow up to the other book that I read and reviewed earlier this year called, Born O'Hurley. It's actually, two stories in one book but I'm reviewing them seperately since that's what I did with the first two stories...The O'Hurley stories are a family series that NR is popular for doing. She's got a lot of family series going on and I for one, love them. As much as I like the O'Hurley family though, they don't hold a candle to the Quinn's series, with Cam, Ethan, Phillip and Seth. Gosh, I love me some Cam Quinn, I'm thinking of doing a reread of those and reviewing those soon...remind me to think about that, will ya? Thanks, you're a doll.

Anyway, back to Skin Deep, Skin Deep is about the oldest O'Hurley triplet, Chantel and she's the hardheaded, stubborn one. The one that has to be in control of everything in her life, which at times (especially in her story) got on my hot damn frickin' nerves.

The story was slow to begin in the first place and I think that was because of the fact that Chantel got on my hot damn nerves. Someone is stalking her pretty badly and she refuses to acknowledge it and she refuses to let anyone in to help her with her problem until she is badly shaken with how persistent and how often the calls and the letters come in. You see, Chantel O'Hurley is a big time actress, BIG TIME, I'm talking Angelina Jolie big time. She's beautiful, she's talented and she's become the biggest name in Hollywood and she's shooting a new film that is sure to be a bit hit. This girl is no joke, she worked hard to get to where she is today and she didn't get there by allowing things to happen to her. She was a go getter, always had been from the time she was little, which was evident in the other stories as well as in the Prologue to her story.

She's finally scared of out her wits end, so she turns to her manager, her agent, whatever he is (I forgot), Matt Burns. Matt is a long time friend of hers as well as her agent/manager, whatever. He freaks out when he finds out about it and insists that she turn this over to the police but being the big headed and control freak that she is, she doesn't want the media to be all up in her business or whatever, she he turns to one of his old college buddies, Quinn Doran who is a PI or some sort and one of the best in the business. He used to do some secret business for the Government which he never ever talks about, so you know he's the bomb.

We meet Quinn and I'm not immediately drawn to his character, which is weird since all I need to know is that he's the hero, I'm in love already, ya know? This guy though, he's one of those manly men, the ones that always say the wrong thing, the kind of Alpha male that would probably drive me frickin' crazy in real life. He immediately has all of these perceptions about Chantel's character since she's in Hollywood you know? There can never be a good girl actress in the business, Quinn is so sure of this. After they butt heads for like three chapters, maybe four, or even five or six, I don't know, I lost track of how many fights they got in, all because she was so sure that the person stalking her was not someone she knew, no matter how much of the evidence proved otherwise, she was the one that believed the best in people, even the people that were out there scaring the living daylights out of her and man that I think is what pissed me off about the whole story, I got that she was scared, I got that she was going through some stuff from what happened to her, what I didn't need was all this bull crap that she was giving Quinn, who was really just trying to protect from this guy who obviously WAS close to her or worked close with her. But did she it that way? Oh hell no, she had to be an ass about everything Quinn did or say and gosh, the story dragged on with her lame ass whining about how she didn't believe anything Quinn say, WHY THE HELL DID YOU HIRE HIM if you don't trust him to do the right thing by you, you dumb ass? Get over your attraction to him, get over the guy that royally screwed you over and just do the guy already, sheesh!

As soon as they both came to grips with the fact that they both were falling in love with each other, Chantel stopped being a bitch ass and Quinn stopped being a hard ass and the story turned for the better. The ending as some of Nora Roberts books tend to, didn't fall flat in my opinion. It was the perfect ending for a short story and I did end up enjoying it. Would I recommend it? I'm not sure, of the three O'Hurley triplets, Chantel was my least favorite.

My favorite thing about this story? I got to see Abby, Maddy and O'Hurley parents. My favorite little boys, Ben and Chris are mentioned and though I would have loved for them to have a bigger scene in the book, I wasn't too disappointed, afterall the story was about their Aunt and not their Mom and Chantel lived in Los Angeles and not in Wyoming or wherever it is Ben and Chris live, it's been so long since I read that book that I've forgotten...oh well.

The story was good but not GREAT and that's that.

Flashpoint by Suzanne Brockmann

Hero: Jimmy Nash
Heroine: Tess Bailey
Grade: C

Jimmy Nash has already lived two lives - and he can't talk about either of them. Formerly an operative of a top secret government agency, he has found a new job with a shadowy company called Troubleshooters Inc. Created by a former Navy SEAL, Troubleshooters Inc. helps anyone in desperate need - which provides a perfect cover for its other, more perilous objective: covert special operations." "Now Nash and a quickly assembled team of expert operators have come to the earthquake-ravaged country of Kazbekistan in the guise of relief workers. There, amid the dust and death, in a land of blood red sunsets and ancient blood feuds, they must track down a missing laptop computer that may hold secrets vital to national security." To get it done, Nash does what he does best: break every rule in the book and manipulate those who can help him get what he needs. But this time, Nash may have met his match in Tess Bailey, a Troubleshooters operative with all the right instincts - and zero field experience. The deep attraction between them is immediate ... and potentially explosive, with risk at every turn. Now these two professionals must play out their dangerous games in the world's most dangerous place - cut off from their own government, cutting deals with people they can't trust, and guarding forbidden passions that threaten to compromise their crucial mission.

A very good book, one that isn't popular among most of Suz's fans. I'm very easy to please because a book doesn't have to be perfect for me to enjoy a book. I only ask that the author supply me with a hottie of a hero, a strong storyline and a happy ending and if they've got those three things, I'll overlook the little inperfections in the story and enjoy the ride the book is taking me on.

That's the way Flashpoint was for me. Jimmy Nash was one bad ass mother effer, who hates relationships of any kind. He's hardened by the life he's led and he's got demons that he's running from. He's cynical and yet there's a vulnerability in him that you can't help but fall in love with, not to mention that he's hotter than Hades. He works for Troubleshooters Inc and he's on a case to find missing laptop that is crucial to the safety of the United States, so with a team they set out to Kazbekistan to retrieve with no help from the U.S.

Tess Bailey on the other hand is grea at doing her job, the only thing working against her is that she's had absolutely NO experience in the field, all of the work she's done for the government was behind the scenes and out of the line of fire. She's down to do whatever it takes to get the job done though, the things she does to prove herself totally cracked me up, oh gosh, Tess Bailey was a grea match for Jimmy Nash because she's a little spitfire and that meshed well with Nash's surly personality, their romance was so cute and it had me sighing all over the place because you have a guy like Nash who is just the absolute worst with women, suffering because he wants so much to be with Tess but because of the demons that he's running from, feels unworthy of love. It was wonderful to read about Tess fighting her way into his heart and giving him the space he needed to work things out for himself.

It was great to see familiar faces from the previous Troubleshooters books and the chemistry between Tess and Nash was a joy to read about.

Now do get me wrong, it's not one of my most favorite books in the whole world, or even of SB's for that matter, but it WAS good. I even liked the secondary storyline between Decker and his woman. The book was filled with nonstop action in hot territories and it was great to get caught up in the action of Suz's books.

I definitely recommend this book for those of you who want to read an action packed romance, it's a cute read aside from all of the things blowing and what not...you'll enjoy I'm sure.

Peace out.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Hero: Jamie Fraser
Heroine: Claire Randall
Grade: Story: C- Jamie: A+

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Okay first off, let me tell you something. This book could have been cut in half and been a great book, I mean gosh could it take me any longer to finish this book? I won't dispute the fact that it was a good book, but there was a good chunk of the book that could have been cut out and I still would have loved the heck out of Jamie Fraser.

Because I did, Jamie Fraser is the quintessential perfect hero.

I say that and mean it with all that I am. Grace hit it on the nail when she described him.

"He is the man every woman would want to love and be loved by and the man every other man would strive to be. He's fierce and courageous, hardened by the betrayals and obscenities he has suffered in his lifetime, and yet has the ability to love with his entire soul."

That's the perfect way to describe Jamie Fraser, having lived through everything he lived through, surviving the trials he went through in this book alone and still have the ability to love Claire with everything he is, takes some serious balls. Everything I read about him in this book alone has made me love the man more and more and he will most definitely be bumped in my Ultimate Hero list because there were plenty of times when I was like, "Holy Batballs Batman!" throughout this book, because I couldn't have survived HALF of what Jamie suffered and still be capable of feeling love, still be able to see the goodness in those around me, it just wouldn't be possible for me.

I liked how Claire cared enough to handle the whole Jack Randall thing with Jamie at the end of the book, even though it was probably necessary, I didn't really care to read about all of that. I mean, I know it was bad, I have an imagination and the image that went through my head about all of that, just isn't something that I'd care to read about in my romance novels and it really made me uncomfortable because as much as I think I'm open to all kinds of things (in my reading that is), just all the pages on this gay crap really made me uncomfortable. I hated reading about it and I guess I just would have been A Okay with knowing it happened and not having to read about it happening, ya know?

I got how Claire loved Jamie and I even got how she loved Frank and I was more happy with the whole concept of Claire and Jamie even though she was still married to Frank (even if technically it hadn't yet happened yet, but when she got married to Jamie, she was still wearing Frank's rings) thing, but I seriously don't think the book needed to be that long. Because it took me soo freaking long to read it and I was always reading it.

I never really liked Frank from the beginning of the book, but I just chalked that up to him not being Jamie and because I knew that Jamie was the man of the book, I couldn't bring myself to care about Frank, but I was bothered by the fact that even thought I didn't care for Frank, CLAIRE DID, she cared enough about him to marry him in her previous life, why on earth was she not thinking about him as often as a wife in love with her husband should have been thinking? She spent more time worrying about Jamie and what Jamie was doing and escaping, rather than what Frank was up to and if Frank was mourning her loss or whatever.

And then don't even let me get started on Jack Randall, Jonathan Randall, Black Jack, whatever evil name he goes by, people like Jack Randall need to wiped off the face of the Earth, they need to suffer for the torture they inflicted on people, they need to be chained up and beat to death, because they're just not good people. He gave evil a new meaning and again, I already knew how evil Jack was, I knew what he was capable of, I knew how he tortured his captives, I knew about how dirty he is, both inside and out, I knew it all, I didnt need to be constantly reminded of how evil and what evil deeds he did, I KNOW!

My only issue with this book was that it was just so long and too wordy and as much as I loved the story of Jamie and Claire, I'm not at all hyped up to continue this series because the other books are just as long, if not longer than this book. The whole witch trial? Yeah, I could have done without that scene, the only scene that was MISSING from this book is the scene where Claire gets to handle her business with that blonde haired shit, Laoghaire...I wanted Claire to serve her ass to the clan on a silver platter, but that scene never ocurred in the book, so I'll write that scene myself, gosh that stupid shit got on my nerves.

Would I recommend this book? Yeah, I say give it a shot, the story is good but be prepared for lots of detail that go on....and on....and on.....
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...and on, and on...and on...See what I mean? It's like that. But it's still very good. LMAO.

Into the Night by Suzanne Brockmann

Hero: Mike Muldoon
Heroine: Joan DaCosta
Grade: C

A terrorist plot to assassinate the president on U.S. soil transforms what could have been another humorous, larger-than-life Navy SEAL romance from Brockmann (Out of Control, etc.) into a sobering story that will strike a patriotic chord with readers. Brash, 30-something White House PR assistant Joan DaCosta and shy, super-polite 25-year-old Navy SEAL Mike Muldoon are an unlikely couple, but the two quickly connect when Joan is sent to scope out the naval base in Coronado, Calif., for a presidential visit. Though their attraction is immediate, Joan can't bring herself to get over their age difference and the fact that they live on opposite sides of the nation. Intertwined with their off-and-on romance are the recollections of Joan's grandparents (one a WWII veteran and the other a WWII widow); details of a terrorist plot to sneak machine guns onto the base; and a side story involving SEAL wife Mary Lou Starret's friendship with a man of Arab descent. As always, Brockmann's snappy dialogue infuses each encounter with wit and vigor, but what really stands out is her sympathetic portrayal of Mary Lou, arguably one of her least likable recurring characters. Although it will take readers a while to warm up to Mary Lou, as well as to Joan and Mike, who are less dynamic than the protagonists from Brockmann's earlier books, this is a worthy addition to the author's SEAL saga.

I read this book a while ago and the first time I read this book, I loved it...but was really intrigued by Sam Starrett, I wanted to know what made him the way he was, so sad and I really wanted to know what happened in his life that led him to marry someone he didn't love and made him just so unhappy with himself and his life. You see, I read this book first before having read the others in the series, when I found out I had read out of order, I immediately remedied that by reading everything before, falling all the more in love with this series...

The first time reading this book, I fell head over heels in love with Mike Muldoon. He was the perfect guy, too perfect some of the time, but that wasn't such a bad thing. He was the hottest guy, a pretty boy if you can say in the SEAL Team 16 and you know I love me some hot guys!

This book wasn't as good as the other books was for me, I guess because I couldn't stand Joan DaCosta. She got on my hot damn nerves with all her Junioring to Muldoon. I hated that she kept using their age difference against him and all of the pushing him away thing got really old, really fast...I just wanted to smack her upside her big ass head and say, "Get over it already you dumb shit!"

But I didn't, because like Meredith said in Grey's Anatomy on Monday, you can't help who you fall in love with...but damn Mike of all the good women in the world, you had to fall in love with Joan frickin' DaCosta?

You see, Joan works for the President for the United States and she's sent to Coronado to check out the location, make sure it's safe enough for a visit from the President because there have been a flurry of Terrorist Threats and what not, so Joan is partnered up with Mike and they're immediately drawn to each other, he's younger than she is, by 9 years and she has a hard time getting over that fact, I mean he's totally digging her and she is him, but because he's younger than her by 9 years, she tries to foil his plans for her at every turn, from trying to set him up with other women to insulting his manhood by calling him Junior all the time, it just got really old and made me want to do bodily harm to her person.

She almost ruined the book for me, but luckily Muldoon saved it. The action factor is high, for there is lots of action in this book, it was a good fast paced book, but becuase I had issues with the heroine and I hated to see Sam, so sad and whiny, I gave this book a C...but the series is still one of my very favorites...