Book Binge

From all of us here at Book Binge, we want to wish you a happy and safe Halloween. We hope there is plenty of treats for you this evening and you're never too old to learn a few tricks either. Just make sure it's safe and nobody gets hurt (haha).

We're taking the day off to enjoy the day and get ready for tonight!

Happy Halloween and again, be safe!

-Rowena, Casee & Holly

Judith's review of Deceiving the Protector (Resurrection #2) by Dee Tenorio.

The mate he never wanted may be the woman he can never have....

After a series of murders is discovered along the trail of the Shifter Underground, wolf soldier Jensen Tate is assigned to find and protect a missing stray. But Lia Crawford doesn't seem to want his protection. When she eludes his watch and returns with mysterious injuries, Tate knows she's hiding something. To discover her secrets, he'll have to win her trust....and get closer to the woman he thinks may be his mate.

Lia has reasons to keep her distance. The killer is haunting her steps, determined to claim her. He will come after them both if he sees how drawn she is to Tate, though it becomes increasingly difficult to deny her attraction to him. Protecting Tate is vital - but will her deception cost her his love?

As creative authors have built the world of the shifter in all its many forms, this alternative universe has not place to go except the future. Not only do we now have the challenge of imagining a world where humans shift into various animal forms, but now we have the challenge of imagining a world where they arre not known and not accepted. The efforts of scientists to experiment on these individuals, without regard to their intrinsic humanity, is the subject of many a paranormal tale. Here the main characters are indeed wolf shifters but both Tate and Lia are under siege. Tate is brother of the Alpha, a man whose ability to track and a better-than-average nose for identifying both friend and foe. Lia is a wolf-shifter on the run but with a unique problem. Taken as a prisoner of government scientists when her family was attacked, Lia endured, using her hatred of her captors to fuel her determination to be free. Buried deep in her memories are the shared days with her baby sister, knowing that her sister's survival, if she is even alive, depends on her own successful escape. What Lia comes face to face with is the government assassin Asher, a shifter that has been so brain washed and physically modified, that he lives to kill and kill his own kind. Yet in the depth of his nearly destroyed soul lives a need for Lia, a conviction that she is his mate, a state Lia refuses to acknowledge and from which she continues to flee.

This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

SHE'S STEALING HIS HEART . . .

Vintage boutique owner Venus Smith is stunned to realize her newest acquisition comes with a larcenous legend. Stolen years ago, the antique mermaid brooch belongs to the Clayworth family. The right thing to do would be to return it, but that means facing Connor Clayworth O'Flynn, the sexy department store heir Venus has had an unrequited crush on since childhood-and the man who helped ruin her father.

ONE KISS AT A TIME

Connor knows that Venus has never forgiven him for what happened between their families. But business isn't personal, even though Venus's father's betrayal still cuts him like a knife. So when Venus proposes a deal-she'll return his family's brooch if he helps clear her father's name-he reluctantly agrees. As action-packed days turn into flirtatious fall nights, it isn't long before old memories resurface . . . and new desires ignite. Can two young lovers leave the past behind? Or must they first admit that all they've ever really wanted . . . is each other?

I'm a sucker for contemporary romances and this one sounds like a good one. The hero is in need of forgiveness from the heroine? Color me curious. I haven't read anything by this author either but I'm curious enough to want to. I think I'm going to start with this book. This book comes out on January 1, 2012 so mark your calendars!

This book is available from Forever. You can pre-order it here or here in e-format.

Rowena: It's almost Halloween, are you guys ready for tricks and treats? I'm not. Not even a little. It's been a slow reading week for me. I can't really get into anything right now and so I'm pretty bummed. I've been reading The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa but it's slow going for me which has nothing to do with the book but me and my not being in the mood for reading anything. I need to get my crap together because I have to have this review ready by Monday. Wish me luck!

Casee: I've been on a paranormal binge (har har) lately. I've read both the books in Laura Wright's Roman Brother's trilogy. I got Dark Predator by Christine Feehan from the library and finished it in a few days. I noticed that it didn't get great reviews. As a reader of this series from the beginning, I always read it with an open mind. If you read this book as a feminist, you will be offended. That's a fact. What makes of for all the macho bullshit is the heroine and if she's got what it takes to stand up to a man that would offend any woman, feminist or no. So I tend to get up on my high horse after I read a book from this series.

I also got Prey by Linda Howard from the library. I read a few pages of it then lost interest. I'll pick it up again and finish it, but I'm always disappointed. The last book of hers that I loved was Cry No More. But I do cry because I'm always sad with each new release.

So onto what I'm reading...Silent Run by Barbara Freethy. I really like it, but it seemed familiar. Now I know why. It's just out on the Kindle, but it was out in print in 2008. Ugh. Now I really NEED to see what everyone is reading.

Holly: I've been re-reading Celta's HeartMates by Robin D. Owens. I'm currently reading Heart Choice, the fourth book. The world-building is fabulous. I get sucked in every time I pick one up. If you haven't tried the series, I highly recommend you do. 

I don't think I'll re-read the entire series right now. I'm already starting to get a little burned out on them, just after reading 5 or 6 (I started at the end of the series with 3 books I hadn't read yet, then went back to the beginning to re-read). Next I think I'll read the latest Meredith Duran. I've heard wonderful things about it and I think this series by Owens will segue well into a historical.

What are you reading?

Rowena's review of Tempted by his Target by Jill Sorenson.

Hero: Brandon Knox
Heroine: Isabel Sanborn

Wanted for the murder of a Mexican drug lord's son, party girl Isabel Sanborn fled to Oaxaca. Now she owes her life to Brandon Knox, a passing tourist who just saved her from a hit man.

But Knox is no accidental hero—he's an undercover U.S. marshal assigned to bring Isabel to justice. Instead, wanting to protect her, he joins her on the lam…with cartel goons and corrupt police in hot pursuit!

And as the danger escalates, sexual tension sizzles. For the first time in his career, Brandon considers jeopardizing his mission to safeguard his target. And though Isabel can elude the authorities,she can't escape her feelings….

This is one of those books that doesn't take much time at all to dig right in. I like to read these short stories from time to time when I'm not ready to dig right into another book. I'm starting to notice that there are a lot of "big secret" plots going on in the books that I'm reading. In this book, Brandon Knox goes undercover to bring Isabel Sanborn in as she's wanted for the murder of the Mexican cartel leader's son, Jaime Carranza.

Isabel took off running when she woke to find Jaime Carranza dead and she holds herself responsible for his death even though of course, she didn't do it. Brandon tracks her down to Mexico and tries to win her trust in order to get her to turn herself in. Of course, he does all of this without telling her exactly who he is and who he works for and when the shit hits the fan, you know good and well that Isabel is going to be pissed.

This book is mostly spent tracking both Brandon and Isabel as they're on the run from the guys that Carranza hired to kill Isabel. Brandon gets caught up in the mix and Isabel lets him in. She's been on the run for a while now and she's lonely and misses having friends and family to talk to. She hasn't talked to anyone since she's gone into hiding and you could tell by how un-trusting she was toward Brandon in the beginning that her life was getting to her.

For such a short story, the book didn't lack in action. Brandon and Isabel grow close quickly and though it should have been unbelievable because of Isabel's nature and distrust of everyone. She was a loner by choice but when Brandon comes into the picture, she lets him in without too much of a fight. I thought Jill did a great job of writing their story to where I didn't question it too much and was okay with it all.

Brandon is one of those heroes that is sexy and strong and you want to bang him ten ways from Sunday. He's got the protective bone that I can't help but love and the way that he fell in love with Isabel was cute. He wasn't expecting it but once he realizes he does, it's true and he doesn't try to talk himself out of it. I enjoyed getting to know him, even though at first I couldn't figure out what his deal was. I didn't remember who he worked for and what he wanted with Isabel in the first place since it wasn't brought up.

Isabel was a likeable heroine. She is closed off from the world because it's necessary and you sympathized with her because once she opened up about herself to Brandon, she didn't hide who she was. You could tell that she came a long way from the person she used to be and you could tell that she had regrets and learned from her mistakes.

Overall, this story was enjoyable. I liked getting to know both Brandon and Isabel but the one downside for me was the ending was a bit of a let down. It all wrapped up too quickly and I closed the book thinking that something else should have happened before it ended. The easy way that the problems all wrapped up (with Carranza, etc..) at the end left me a bit disappointed but all in all, the story was still enjoyable.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

This book is available from Harlequin. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Tracy’s review of Animal Attraction (Animal #2) by Jill Shalvis.

Jade Bennett couldn't be happier to escape her past for the quiet ranching town of Sunshine, Idaho. Plus, there's nothing like working for veterinarian Dell Connelly. And though Dell has no intention of settling down, Jade's strength and sass are enticements no red-blooded male can resist.

It’s been 18 months since Jade Bennett work for Dell at Belle Haven his animal clinic in Sunshine, Idaho. She loves it there and has really found that she loves animals. But the reason that she showed up in Idaho in the first place is not all that happy. She was attacked when she was in Chicago and she left to try and get her head on straight. But has that happened in Sunshine? She has friends but she hasn’t truly let them into her life completely.

Dell has quietly had a thing for Jade since she first came to work for him. He finally decides that he needs to get to know her better but Jade’s just not letting him in. They are such great friends but she’s holding back. Dell finally figures out that Jade was attacked in some way and tells Jade that he will help her learn some self defense moves so that she will never feel helpless. This is the key that Dell needed to helping Jade come out of her self-induced shell and finally live. But Jade has promised her family that she will come back to Chicago and she must keep her promise no matter her feelings on the subject.

The Characters:

Jade – She was one big control freak and a bit OCD (to say the least) but she was just so darned lovable. She liked to be in control (and that’s what threw her into a tailspin when she was attacked) and didn’t quite know how to handle things when she wasn’t. Her family had “groomed” her to be that way and when things went awry she just fumbled. Now when I say she needs to be in control I mean that she has to be in control of her world. She didn’t try to control other people’s lives and I loved that about her. Example: She wanted to help Dell out and organize his office but though it drove her crazy she wouldn’t do anything without his go-ahead.

Dell – Oh the lovable and gorgeous Dell. He had such issues of abandonment from his childhood and had just decided as an adult to just leave first. He had serious commitment issues and these flowed over to Jade as well. Did that stop him from seeking her out time and again because he wanted to be with her or just hang out with her? No. He even stopped dating and became a one-woman man. He had some emotional issues really need to work through and I think that being with Jade finally made him focus on them and work through them.

The Story:

The story is wonderful. It bring Dell and his brothers, Adam and Brady, together and shows us the strength of their relationship. We even get a view of Adam and Dell’s mother. We got a peek at Lilah and Brady’s relationship from book 1 and that was great – they were going strong as before.

I loved seeing Jade and Dell together as their relationship had started as friends first. They knew so much about each other already that we got to see the ease of that relationship mixed in with the sexual tension which was pretty darned hot.

Overall it was a great book and a fun read.

Rating: 4 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Ames' review of The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper.

Baring It All

Generations of werewolves have been secretly residing in a secluded valley a stone’s throw from Grundy, Alaska. So when a snooping Outsider comes to Grundy to investigate rumors of lycanthropic shenanigans in the area, the valley’s pack alpha, Maggie Graham, resolves to chase him away, even if doing so takes a quick bite on the butt. What a pity that researcher Nick Thatcher turns out to be so drool-worthy, and that his kisses make Maggie want to sit up and beg. Maggie just can’t seem to convince Nick to leave . . . and even worse, she can’t convince herself to stay away from him. Cross-species dating is problem enough for a harried alpha female, but on top of that, a rival group of werewolves is trying to move into the valley. With interpack war threatening, Maggie can’t afford to be distracted. Combining romance and a career can be tough for anyone; for a werewolf in love with a human, it may be disastrous. . . .

This is the sequel to How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf and it features Cooper's sister, Maggie, who is the alpha (yay kick-ass female alpha FINALLY!!) of their local pack. And Nick is the scientist who has come to prove that werewolves do exist. Despite the threat to her very existence, Maggie cannot stay away from nerdy Nick.

Ok, I enjoyed this one but not as much as the first. The story is told from Maggie's POV so there were a few limitations with that. The one to suffer though is Nick. We get that he's a hot nerd...but that's about it. There wasn't enough from him to make him stand out, which is a shame because nerds are hot. :( Also, I couldn't get behind them falling in love so quickly. It was like the author took a short cut to them getting together. I can't blame her because things are so much fun once they do get together.

What makes this book so much fun is Maggie's personality. She needs to be tough because she's the alpha and she has to take care of her pack. She needs someone to help shoulder her burden, not take it over completely (like the other male werewolves who try courting her would do). She puts her pack before herself, and she was even going to give Nick up for her pack. She's also very physical and will cut you if you piss her off. She's also really funny and here's a sample of her internal dialog:

He traced the lines of my thighs with his fingertips to bring my legs over his hips. He ground into me, his denim-covered -oh, my God!- pressing into my hot, uncovered...lady business.

I really had to start using grown-up words.

I enjoyed this one but not as much as the first. I couldn't get a hold on Nick's character and their romance felt rushed. Maggie's character still makes this a fun entry into this series.

3.75 out of 5.

This book is available from Pocket Books. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

I'm not one to go out and read fan fiction or write fan fiction myself but there seems to be a pretty big fanbase for that sort of thing and when we came across the following press release, we thought we'd spread the word to those of our readers who are into all of this.

M.J. Rose is the first published author to publish an e-fan fiction story and the book, titled In Session came out on October 17th.

Check out, the press release as we received it from our friends over at Meryl M. Ross Media Relations, Inc.:

M.J. ROSE HAS DONE IT AGAIN!

The first e-fan fiction book written by a published author!

International bestselling author M.J. Rose, a publishing pioneer who wrote the first e-book to be published by a mainstream New York publishing house, is once again thrilling the book world with another innovation – the first ever e-fan fiction written by an accomplished author called, IN SESSION where characters from major thriller writers’ bestselling novels are psychoanalyzed by one of Rose’s most unforgettable characters, the sex therapist Dr. Morgan Snow.

Fan fiction stories, usually written by fans of an original work, rather than by the author, are rarely commissioned or authorized by the author and almost never published professionally. This is the first time a well-known published author like Rose has sought and received permission to include popular characters of bestselling writers from the thriller genre, in three short stories tied together through one of her most popular heroines.

“With this fan fiction, you don’t just write it, you get it published,” said Rose. This is also a philanthropic effort on Rose’s part as proceeds from the audio book and a share of the proceeds from the e-book will be donated to David Baldacci’s Wish You Well Foundation, supporting family literacy. (http://wishyouwellfoundation.org/)

M.J. ROSE (www.mjrose.com) is an internationally bestselling author of eleven novels including The Halo Effect, The Venus Fix and The Delilah Complex all featuring Dr. Morgan Snow. Her next novel, The Book of Lost Fragrances, will be published in March, 2012 by Atria Books (S&S). Rose is a founding board member of International Thriller Writers and founder of the first marketing company for authors, AuthorBuzz.com.

This sounds like something fans of MJ Rose and fans of fan fiction will enjoy. We thought we'd do our part in bringing it to our readers attention.

If you're interested in reading the book, you can buy it here in e-format.

Holly's review of Real Men Will (Donovan Brother's Brewery, Book 3) by Victoria Dahl.

It was meant to be a one-night stand. One night of passion. Scorching hot. Then Beth Cantrell and Eric Donovan were supposed to go their separate ways. That’s the only reason he lied about his name, telling her he was really his wild younger brother. Hiding his own identity as the conservative Donovan. The “good” one.

But passion has its own logic, and Eric finds he cannot forget the sable-haired beauty with whom he shared one night of passion. When Beth discovers that Eric has lied, however, she knows he cannot be trusted. Her mind tells her to forget the blue-eyed charmer. If only every fiber of her being did not burn to call him back.

I was rather frustrated with Eric in the previous two books. I have to give Dahl a lot if credit for making unlikeable characters sympathetic. Although I didn't expect to, I came to like Eric in the end..and even to champion him.

Eric and Beth had a one night stand several months ago. Only Beth mistook Eric for his brother Jamie..and he didn't bother to correct her. They haven't stopped thinking about the other since, but they agreed it would be one night only. When Beth runs into Eric at the brewery and realizes he lied about his identity, she's humiliated. She jumps to the worst possible conclusions - and Eric does nothing to make it better.

Eric didn't meant to let things go so far, but he felt free for once. Free of the responsibility of raising his siblings and free of the brewery. The time he spent with Beth was a much needed respite and he's sad that it's become tainted. He apologizes to Beth and finds he's even more drawn to her than before.

There were parts of this romance I really enjoyed, but many of Beth's actions bothered me. In the beginning I was really rooting for her. She got a really raw deal with Eric and deserved to get a little of her own back. I also understood that she was traumatized in high school and carried around a lot of baggage from it. But as the novel wore on her back-and-forthing really began to bother me. Without spoiling it, I have to say toward the end she makes a bad decision and I have to be honest, it really lowered my opinion of her. Her reasons for doing so were immature and ridiculous, which made it hard for me to forgive her.

I really disliked Eric in the first two books. He was condescending and rude and went out of his way to antagonize his brother. It's here that Dahl excelled the most with this novel. Not only did I come to love Eric, but I was firmly on his side when it came to both his siblings. This has been a recurring theme throughout the series and the main reason I continued reading it, despite the fact that I had issues along the way. Surprisingly, I was also on Eric's side when it came to Beth. Not at first, but over the course of the novel he won me over completely.

Dahl kept me coming back to see if each sibling could be redeemed. Eric and Jamie had a lot of tension in Jamie's book, but I thought they'd moved past that. I expected to see more harmony between them in this book, despite Eric's actions. I guess I thought Jamie had grown up more in his book. The same with Tessa. At the end of her book I was impressed by how much she'd grown over the course of the novel. And yet here she is, acting like a teenager again, the same as she did in the last book.


While I think Dahl did an excellent job of turning the siblings into likeable characters in their own books, they made it hard to enjoy the other books.

3.25 out of 5.

The series:



This book is available from HQN. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Today Jodi Thomas is here with a quick note about The Comforts of Home, the third book in her Harmony, Texas series (Berkley, 11/1/11). The entire series is fabulous. If you haven't read it yet, you really need to.

______________________

Jodi Thomas

About Jodi


Jodi Thomas is the NY Times and USA Today best-selling author of 34 novels and 11 short story collections. In June 2011, WELCOME TO HARMONY won a RITA, the highest award for contemporary fiction. Jodi currently serves as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon,Texas www.jodithomas.com

________________________

We gave a copy of The Comforts of Home to giveaway. Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win! Contest ends 10/31 @ 11:59pm. Please note: You must include a valid email address with your entry to be eligible. 





The Comforts of Home will be available 11/1/11 from Berkley. You can preorder it here or here in e-format.

Tracy’s review of Sage Creek by Jill Gregory.

After her marriage falls apart, Sophie McPhee returns to her hometown of Lonesome Way, Montana, planning to steer clear of men and focus on her new bakery, A Bun in the Oven. Who she doesn't expect to see is Rafe Tanner, her first crush who now runs his family's ranch-and who spent most of their childhood ignoring her. But is Rafe a changed man?


While Rafe - is stunned to discover that Sophie's grown into an irresistibly beautiful woman, he's been hurt too. They both have their guards up, but melt in each other's company. Can they admit that home is truly where the heart is?

Sophie is devastated by the betrayal of her husband with another woman. Not only was he having an affair but he got his mistress pregnant – something she’d been wanting from day one of their marriage. She was always told it wasn’t the right time so to see him get another woman pregnant was just too much. Sophie heads home to pretty much lick her wounds and ends up throwing a baby shower for her best friend. Not only that but she almost immediately decides to start a bakery – something she had just sold in San Francisco.

When Sophie meets Rafe Tanner, her best friends’ brother that she’s had a crush on most of her life, she finds that her attraction to him hasn’t lessened with time and space. Rafe is anxious to get near Sophie as well but he thinks that he may want more than just a fling – even though he knows that it’s unlikely that Sophie will want the same.

There is also a bit of a mystery stalker in the picture as bad things keep happening to Sophie’s truck and they can’t quite figure out why. There were quite a few story threads running through the book that really took the focus away from the romance. I’m sure that the intention was to give an overall view of the town and the people in it but it really ended up detracting from all parts of the story.

While I like Sophie as a character for the most part I didn’t quite understand her. She was so very focused on having a baby that it almost was running her life. It was in her thoughts constantly – both from her ex-husband and of course her best friend being pregnant – and it got to be a bit much. I understand wanting children but feeling like you can’t be a complete person without them overshadowed, to me, even the romantic relationship in this story.

Rafe was great and I really liked him as well. I loved that he was a great father and really looked out for his daughter and his family. He hesitated at first with his decision to chase Sophie but once he made the decision and the fact that he wanted her in his life permanently he didn’t hesitate. A really good hero.

In the end it was a cute book and I might read the next in the series and I’m a bit curious as to what happens with Rafe’s brother.


Rating: 3.25 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place


This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Judith's review of Something So Right by Elyse Mady.

After having her heart broken, Lily Carver ran north to manage an upscale resort—and back to her longtime friend Sam Denning. Though she's well aware of how hot Sam's become, she refuses to risk her heart again. No matter how incredible his kisses make her feel…

Sam's been in love—and lust—with Lily since the summer they met. When he finally shows her how much he wants her, Lily can't resist his seduction. But Sam's a forever kind of guy and she's only interested in short, painless relationships.

Lily thinks she can protect both their hearts with a short affair to let their passion run its course, something where they both know the rules and can explore the sparks between them without getting burned. But their best-laid plans are put to the test by their undeniable attraction—and by a secret Sam's been keeping from Lily that could ruin everything.

I wanted to read and review this book because I had read a previous work by this author and found it to be quite compelling. I think she is an extremely good writer so was anxious and delighted to read this new book. Once again I was impressed with Ms Mady's writing ability but my reaction to the book was mixed.

Certainly it is apparent from the first that Lily is deeply wounded and seeking another set of circumstances that won't constantly aggravate her hurting heart. She is a woman with a caring spirit, concerned for others, and wanting/needing genuine friendship. This she found in a trustworthy source: her long-time friend Sam. She knew that Sam's feelings for her were deeper than just friendship. But her need for self-protection outweighed her response to Sam's desire--except on a physical level.

Now I think the reader is aware of Lily's situation and her inner conflict. My problem in this book is that I felt it just went on and on and on. Given the depth of Lily's hurt, this is possibly understandable and even in real life I would not be so arrogant as to minimize the profound nature of her inner wounds. But as a reader, I felt that Lily almost got to the point of no return with Sam--and perhaps that is the author's intent in dragging out the tension between these two. There was a deep afinity with Sam that made me very uncomfortable with the "hell" Lily was putting him through. This guy was the kind of man any woman would have been proud to have in her life. And for Lily to almost drive him away with her worry that she would "lose his friendship" became, for me, the kind of issue that made me quite irritated with her. I guess my feeling was that any lasting love is built on friendship. It is never "friendship vs love." Yet Lily couldn't seem to comprehend that. I got really upset with her on a couple of occasions.

All that being said, this is a very erotic novel, filled with sexual tension, with some very steamy sex, and all of it encapsulated in a story line that could easily be real life. It is well written and edited, and I appreciated the evidence of a writer who really knows the language, proper tenses of verbs, and how to construct a sentence that doesn't end with a preposition. Sorry about being a bit anal about those things, but I get irritated when a writer uses "kneeled" instead of "knelt" and "shined" instead of "shone." Maybe it's just me, but after reading as many books as I read, those little things detract from what could otherwise be a very good book. Ms Mady and her editors have done well in that department. I found the book easy to read yet it wasn't just a lightweight boy-meets-girl kind of romance. There are some important relational issues here--some that impact far more people than we would sometimes like to admit. It is a story that is about the place and importance of friendship and support, but I think it also highlights the fact that one doesn't have to give up friendship in order to obtain a lasting love.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr J's Book Place.

This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Rowena's review of In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster by Stephanie Laurens.

Hero: Jeremy Carling
Heroine: Eliza Cynster

The pleasure of your company is requested at the wedding of Miss Eliza Cynster . . . but not until she’s rescued from a daring abduction by the most unexpected of heroes!

Brazenly kidnapped from her sister Heather’s engagement ball, Eliza Cynster is spirited north to Edinburgh. Desperate and deter-mined to escape, she seizes upon the first possible champion who happens along— gentleman scholar Jeremy Carling.

Villains and rescues are a far cry from Jeremy’s expertise, yet he cannot abandon a damsel in distress. But danger lurks and hurdles abound in their race to escape the mysterious laird, until a final confrontation on a windswept cliff reveals what their future life could hold—if both are bold enough to seize and own the unexpected love they now share.

This is the book that follows Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue and at the end of that book, Heather's sister Eliza is snatched from her engagement ball. This book follows what happens after that. While Heather and Breckenridge's story spent most of the book trying to figure who was behind the kidnapping and what the kidnapper wanted with the Cynster girls, Eliza's book spent more time dealing with her actual escape from her captors. Other than that, the books were a great deal alike in storyline.

Eliza catches the eye of Jeremy Carling and it was Jeremy who came through and rescued her and it was at times entertaining to watch these two grow closer and closer. I enjoyed the romance that popped up between these two but if I'm being honest, I'm not sure how many more books by Stephanie Laurens I can read because she's starting to remind me of Diana Gabaldon with her three million words to describe every minute detail of what's going on. I don't need to read about them checking the map at every turn of the corner. I'm telling you now like I told you when I read Outlander. This book could have been just as good without so many hot damn words. They could have chopped this book in half and I think we still would have gotten a fabulous story about two people falling in love. It was just a struggle to read through every single word in this book because there were so freaking many.

My favorite thing about this book was the hero. Jeremy Carling is one of those bookish nerdy heroes that I just absolutely adored. I thought the way that he came to Eliza's rescue despite not being a soldier or warrior was so cute and the protective way he became over her had me sighing all over the place. His character really came to life over the course of this book and I wish more words were spent describing him than on the places they were at and stuff like that.

I liked Eliza better than I liked Heather but there were times when I wanted to give her a swift kick in the arse. Must be that Cynster blood running through her. I thought that the way that Eliza and Jeremy came together, the way that they fell in love was totally believable and it felt real. I enjoyed being a part of their journey even if I wish the journey was cut a little short.

Overall, this is a good addition to the series and I'm not mad that I read it. It's going to be interesting to see where this all ends because McKinsey is running out of Cynster girls to kidnap to keep his crazy psycho Mom at bay. I'm enjoying catching the little glimpses of him and even though I'm a little wary from all the words I'll have to read in the next book, I think I'm going to read it just so that I can finish this out.

Grade: 3 out of 5

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

What a scoundrel wants, a scoundrel gets . . .

A decade ago, the Marquess of Bourne was cast from society with nothing but his title. Now a partner in London’s most exclusive gaming hell, the cold, ruthless Bourne will do whatever it takes to regain his inheritance—including marrying perfect, proper Lady Penelope Marbury.

A broken engagement and years of disappointing courtships have left Penelope with little interest in a quiet, comfortable marriage, and a longing for something more. How lucky that her new husband has access to such unexplored pleasures.

Bourne may be a prince of London’s underworld, but he vows to keep Penelope untouched by its wickedness—a challenge indeed as the lady discovers her own desires, and her willingness to wager anything for them . . . even her heart.

I've read each and every book that Sarah MacLean has put out so far (well, all of her romances anyway) and I've loved each and every single one of them. So far, her first release, Nine Rules to Break when Romancing a Rake is my favorite.

Sarah's got a new series coming out on February 28, 2012 which isn't too much of a wait and I'm more than a little anxious for it. I'm itching to get to know Bourne and Penelope. I'm itching to read their story because I know that I'm going to love it, Sarah hasn't written anything so far that I haven't liked in one way or another and I'm hopeful that she'll do it again.

Mark your calendars, lovely readers, we have another book by Sarah MacLean to pre-order!

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Judith's review of Falke's Captive (Puma Nights #2)by Anna Leigh Keaton & Madison Layle.

But her research is a threat to the Falke family secret. When Kelan, in cougar form, is captured, that secret comes closer than ever to being revealed. He escapes, but not before Beth draws a blood sample, and analysis shows this is no ordinary mountain lion.

Kelan and Reidar cannot deny the powerful attraction they feel toward Beth. She might just be their destined mate. But if they reveal themselves to her, will she embrace who they are or see them as just another science experiment?

A graduate student working in animal genetics, Beth Coldwell is in town to track and tag big cats in the wild. Her prospects for the summer only improve when she meets Kelan and Reidar Falke and decides the sexy brothers are the right pair to fulfill her other, less than scientific, desires...

The mountain community in the Pacific Northwest which is home to the Falke family are well accustomed to seeing one of the brothers in cougar form. The family has been creative and careful in keeping their secret identity as shifters under wraps--until now. Alex & Gunnar Falke are happily mated with Dakota and they are expecting new little Falkes soon. Now Kelan and Reidar (pronounced "rider"), the two younger members of the quadruplets, are moving through their days, enjoying being bachelors, meeting and bedding beautiful women, loudly proclaiming they are nowhere near ready to settle down. They are totally unprepared for their own inner responses to a night of passion spent with a graduate student, one who is a threat to their hiddenness. Of the two brothers, Reidar is already becoming tired of the easy conquests, admitting that he wants to wake up with someone he knows loves him and for whom alone his hearts beats. Kelan seems unwilling to open himself to that possibility and even when he becomes aware that his responses to Beth are far more than just physical attraction, he fights those feelings with anger, distance, and work.

Beth is a woman who is willing to put herself in hock up to her eyeballs in order to achieve her educational goals. But from the outset, she is troubled by her mentor's willingness--his penchant for taking over her research and discoveries and claiming them as his own. Perhaps that is why there is a sense that she is dragging her feet, a reluctance to submit her evidence to the university. It is this reluctance that will become critical as the story progresses as well as her growing awareness of her deeper feelings for these two sexy men.

This second novel in the series is a bit more tied up in knots and has that sense of impending trouble for the brothers and their family more than in the first book. It is certainly a paranormal romance and there are some kinky stuff, too, but all in all it is about a developing love relationship. But the road to true love is definitely not smooth for these three, littered with the presence of a co-worker who is critical of her personal relationship with the brothers, a mentor who is suspect in his ultimate goals, the possibility that Beth's academic plan will derail their future life together, and censure of Alex as alpha of their family. There is an underlying uneasiness present in this novel that was not present in the first story, and some readers may not like that. This is no simple boy-meet-girl story. And while there is fun and humor and bickering among the brothers that is reminiscent of all large families, it sometimes seems that a happily-ever-after won't be in the cards for these three.

I like this writing team and the stories they create. So I enjoyed this story a lot. It has an edgier feel than many of their stories but I felt that the tension between the romance and the scientific endeavors added to the relational tension from the very beginning. Add in the rather unsettled minds of the brothers as to their future family plans, and you have a novel that seems weightier than most paranormal stories. I have to admit that this quality was a plus for me. I think this is a terrific read, a very good sequel to book one (although it is a stand alone book in every sense), and a worth the time and effort to read.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5

You can read more from Judith at Dr J's Book Place.

This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Holly: This was a pretty busy week for me, so I didn't get much reading in. Lucky for me, the two books I did read were both really great. Destiny by Carly Phillips, the second book in her Serendipity series. I wasn't sure about it going in, because Nash, the hero, was a jerk in the first book. Phillips did a great job with him, however. He frustrated me at times, but I felt he showed a lot of growth in the end.

I also read Heart Search by Robin D. Owens, the 10th book in her Celta's Heartmates series. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend you do. Owens has created an extremely fascinating world. I really want to live on Celta.

I'm currently reading Home Sweet Home by Bella Riley. I'm only a couple chapters in. It's a reunited lovers story - one of my favorite themes - so I'm really looking forward to it.

Rowena: I haven't read much of anything this week but at the moment I'm reading Wish Upon a Star by Sarah Morgan and Merciless by Diana Palmer. Both books started out just okay but I'm still in the beginning of each so I'm hopeful that things will turn around. Of the two, I'm enjoying Merciless by Diana Palmer more, we'll see if that's still the case when I finish both books. Hopefully, I'll finish over the weekend. Wish me luck!

Casee: The most prominent book in my life of late has been The American Promise: A History of the United States. After having pneumonia (now in the recovery process) followed by an acute sinus infection, I have much catch-up to do. That means long hours of tedious reading. History has always interested me, but I love reading romance even more. I wish I could take a class on that!

The other book I'm reading is Eternal Kiss: Mark of the Vampire by Laura Wright. I've been putting off reading this series, because really, another vampire series? Redundant much? Anyway, it's the second in the series and is turning out to be pretty good.

What are you reading?

Holly's review of How a Cowboy Stole Her Heart by Donna Alward.

Clay Gregory's known Megan Briggs her whole life, and he's been plenty worried about her while she's been getting medical treatment. Now she's back home and hiding away on the family ranch.
Knowing the stubborn cowgirl won't accept his help willingly, he invites her to a family wedding to help him avoid his aunt's matchmaking!
He plans to remind Meg she's still the girl who can beat him in a horse race! But as she steps out in her curve-hugging red dress, her skills on a horse are suddenly the furthest thing from his mind….

Don't let the title and cover fool you, this isn't a light piece of fluff. There's quite a bit of emotional depth in these pages.

Megan and Clay have been friends for a long time. Meg has been away going through chemo and radiation for breast cancer. Before she left, she and Clay said some harsh words to each other. Now that she's back and in remission, she wants to mend fences but isn't sure how.

Clay lost his father to cancer, and in a way, his mother as well (she abandoned them because she couldn't handle his father's illness). When Meg tells him she has cancer Clay knows he isn't strong enough to be there for her. He says some harsh things that he can't take back..but he wants to make it up to her.

Surprisingly, while they're trying to mend their friendship they realize there's more between them. But they're both afraid to move forward with their relationship. Meg doesn't trust that Clay will stick around for the long haul..and frankly neither does Clay. He doesn't want to lose another person he cares about.

Meg and Clay are just two big balls of issues. Meg is dealing with the scars from her fight with cancer - both the physical and emotional ones. She's determined to live her life to the fullest, and yet at the same time she's scared. Scared that next time she might not make it. She's also scared that Clay won't be the man she needs him to be. She needs someone she can rely on. Someone she can count on to be there in case the worst happens and her cancer comes back.

Clay has lost enough people in his life. He doesn't want to take the chance that he'll end up having his heart broken. Instead, he pushes Meg away, thinking they'll both be better off. But as time goes on he comes to realize he wants Meg in his life - even if that means risking his a broken heart. The problem will be convincing Meg he's the man for her.

Although there were some very touching scenes in this book and many emotional pitfalls, I had frustrations with both Meg and Clay. They kept saying harsh things to each other and pulling back at the slightest hint of deeper feelings. While I understood this in the beginning, as the novel progressed I found myself losing patience with them.

3 out of 5.

This book is available from Harlequin Romance. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Ames' review of How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper.

Northern Exposure

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . . .

I read and enjoyed the heck out of Molly's contemporary romance And One Last Thing... earlier in the year so when I saw some positive buzz for this book, I overcame my paranormal burnout to pick it up and give it a try. I'm so glad I did. I thought How to Flirt was a fun, fluffy paranormal with some crazy characters that charm your socks off.

Mo has run away from the South to Grundy, Alaska for a change. She had a failed relationship to get over and she really needed to get away from her mother. Her parents are died-in-the-wool hippies and all Mo has yearned for is normalcy. Unfortunately, the one man who can warm her up on a winter's night in Alaska happens to be a werewolf. How normal is that?

I loved Mo. She was a really fun character. She ends up getting a job in Grundy's most popular watering hole working as a cook. She also whips up the most amazing desserts. She's made quite the place for herself in Grundy. She really is a great character. And Cooper? I loved how mean he seemed at the beginning. Very reticent. And Mo can't resist him even though he drives her crazy. Mo drives him equally mad. *g*

I like the juxtaposition of a Southern Belle in backwater Alaska.

"Just enjoy it. It's a little harmless flirting. You don't have to worry about serious intentions until they start offering you meat."
I arched my eyebrow. "Is that some sort of double entendre?"

The werewolf stuff doesn't even bother me. 4 out of 5 Recommend if you want some laughs.

This book is available from Pocket Books. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

The winner of Much Ado About Vampires by Katie MacAlister is:


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