Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Down but not out


I've been bitten by the winter sickness going around and after 1+ weeks I am finally feeling more normal than not. However during that time I just was unable to read, so I have no reviews as of yet, but I plan to post one within the next few days.


In the mean time I have found a few booky sites that have my stamp of approval;



                      The Daily Beast  (book section)
 
 
AND
 
 
 
 
 
                                 Happy Reading to all and to all a good day!
 
 
 
 
                                                    Liz Scott
 
 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Three for One


Since I read these three so fast (one after the other, like candy) I decided to rate them together too. I read them out of order (2, 3, 1) but I had no difficulty catching up/on.

For the sake of this post I will list them in order, and please note this is an on-going series called, Dark Kings. I can't wait for the next book!! 



AND BONUS -  as of this moment each are just .99 cents from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, if you happen to have an e-reader or tablet.

If you don't have a reading device and you enjoy reading, go get one now....seriously!! You would not believe how many books you can get free or really cheap from each outlet. For Christmas Santa gave me a tablet so I have an APP for both Amazon and Barnes & Noble....now I have the best both have to offer and save money so I can buy more books!!


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Dark Craving (Dark Kings, #1)Dark Craving by Donna Grant

Fueled by ancient magic—and inflamed by human desire—the Dragon King known as Hal can transform himself at will into one of the legendary winged creatures he is sworn to protect. But one thing he can never do is fall in love…with a mortal woman.

Searching for her brother in Scotland—and succumbing to the freezing cold—Cassie Hunter awakens to find herself in the arms of a magnificent Highland warrior. Across his chest is the tattoo of a fiery dragon. And in his heart is a burning passion that, once unleashed, will consume them both…body and soul.

This is a story of destiny and desire, magic and mystery, warriors and lovers.

These are the forbidden cravings of the Dark Kings.




My rating for Dark Craving

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Night's Awakening (Dark Kings, #2)Night's Awakening by Donna Grant

Fueled by dragon magic, the dark immortal warriors were never meant to feel human desire, much less fall in love. But when Guy, a member of an ancient order of shape-shifting warriors, meets Elena Griffin—a mere mortal whose beauty and blind ambition shakes him to his core—all bets are off…

Having left America to explore the Scottish Highlands, Elena suddenly finds herself lost in a dark cave—alone, injured, and utterly hopeless…until Guy appears from out of nowhere. Is she dreaming her own rescue when she falls into his arms? A man—and a passion—this strong is too good to be true. It’s only a matter a time before she learns the truth about the flames in his heart. And the dragon in his soul.





My rating for Night's Awakening


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Dawn's Desire (Dark Kings, #3)Dawn's Desire  by Donna Grant

For centuries, the immortals knows as the Dragon Kings have hidden their shapeshifting powers from the world. But when a mortal enemy threatens to expose them, the warrior Banan must leave his secret lair in the Highlands, risk his life for the dragons within – and resist the temptations of human love…

Jane Holden has never considered herself beautiful. But when the impossibly handsome Banan casts his gaze upon her, smoldering with sensuality, she feels like the sexiest woman on earth. Banan, however, is a man on a mission. He refuses to succumb to this modern woman’s charms – or his own desires. Two of his warrior brethren have already surrendered to forbidden love. But as the danger closes in, Banan realizes that he needs to possess Jane – mind, body, and soul. For she is more than his match. She is his destiny.




My rating for Dawn's Desire


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My take on the three

Let's review, Scotland Highlanders...check....hot men....check.....amazing in and out of bed.....check.....cool ability to turn into a beautiful and fierce dragon.....check. Oh and they live in a cool mansion and produce the worlds best whisky and have a cave filled with gem stones they could care less about. AND they have cool dragon tatts that are known to move on their own from time to time.


If you are looking for a fun, quick, read with some steamy on the side, you have come to the right series!


Monday, January 21, 2013

Proper English fix


The Rose GardenThe Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

Eva Ward returns to the only place she truly belongs, the old house on the Cornish coast, seeking happiness in memories of childhood summers. There she finds mysterious voices and hidden pathways that sweep her not only into the past, but also into the arms of a man who is not of her time.
But Eva must confront her own ghosts, as well as those of long ago. As she begins to question her place in the present, she comes to realize that she too must decide where she really belongs.






My rate & take



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The blurb above leaves so much of the magic out that I found in this book. It did take me a few pages to get into the book (I think because other books were distracting me) but once I did, I dropped everything else, including my family until I finished...It had that kind of hold on me. Just to give you an idea of all that is included in this book (and isn't in the blurb) there is time travel and travelers, smuggling brothers, love, death, history, a tea room, old friends and new....well that is some of what is in there anyway. All around an engaging read I enjoyed greatly.


On a side note I recently bought a large box of Red Rose Tea and in the large boxes they include a collectible figurine. They are currently on a nautical theme (which I was pleasantly surprised at) and I got the compass....so fitting to the smuggling angle to this story. Just for fun I am posting a picture of all of the figurines in the Red Rose Nautical line. I want the mermaid, the conch shell, the treasure chest, ah heck who am I trying to kid, I probably want them all!    :-D        Happy reading!! And tea drinking too if you are so inclined....books and tea go together so well.




Saturday, January 19, 2013

No release


Release Me (Stark Trilogy, #1)Release Me by J. Kenner


He was the one man I couldn’t avoid. And the one man I couldn’t resist.

Damien Stark could have his way with any woman. He was sexy, confident, and commanding: Anything he wanted, he got. And what he wanted was me.

Our attraction was unmistakable, almost beyond control, but as much as I ached to be his, I feared the pressures of his demands. Submitting to Damien meant I had to bare the darkest truth about my past—and risk breaking us apart.

But Damien was haunted, too. And as our passion came to obsess us both, his secrets threatened to destroy him—and us—forever.




Disclosure: I obtained this book free of charge via Net Galley for the purposes of review. It was released for publication on 1/1/13.



My rate & take


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Even though this book riffed from Fifty Shades of Grey it still had enough of its own flavor to make the read enjoyable. This is book one in The Stark Trilogy and I am looking forward to book two. I feel like we learned much about the female lead, Nikki, but not as much as I would have liked about our male lead, Damien. That I am hoping will come in book two. I thought the pacing of the story was very good until the end, which at first I thought was rushed, but then I realized it must have been designed to give a gentle ending rather than an frustrating cliff hanger, for which I am very grateful. I loved the balance of story with steamy, very nice!


Thursday, January 17, 2013

Full moon all winter


Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.



My rate & take

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This is book one in the Young Adult series, The Wolves of Mercy Falls. This read was equal parts tender and sad with a little frustration thrown in because of the obstacles the main characters, Grace and Sam, faced in staying together. I loved the intellectual depth of these two teenagers and found myself rooting for a happy ending for them, which the book gave me right at the end, and the reason I've decided not to go on and read book two in the series, because that happy ever after is just as quickly plucked away. Bummer for me.

  

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Pretty Woman Reversed


EscortedEscorted by Claire Kent


She hired him to take her virginity...but now she wants even more.

Lori might be a popular romance writer, but she's never been anything but a flop with sex and love in her personal life. Still a virgin at twenty-six and increasingly frustrated by her inexperience, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She hires a talented, sexy male escort to take care of her inconvenient virginity.

She assumes one time with Ander will be enough, but she never dreams how much pleasure he can make her feel. Once isn't nearly enough. Twice isn't enough either. Soon, she becomes one of his regular clients.

Lori knows that nothing would be as foolish as falling in love with her paid escort, but she's never been wise with her heart. And, despite his professionalism, he doesn't seem entirely immune either.




My rate & take


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Such an interesting concept to get to know someone within the confines of a single room, slowly, over time, even if that person was the hired help. From the beginning there were glimpses that it wasn't all just a business transaction and that added to the charm of the story. I did enjoy the freshness of the story, it lent itself nicely to be a steamy page turner.



Sunday, January 6, 2013

Secret revealed


S.E.C.R.E.T.S.E.C.R.E.T. by L. Marie Adeline


Cassie Robichaud’s life is filled with regret and loneliness after the sudden death of her husband. She waits tables at the rundown Café Rose in New Orleans, and every night she heads home to her solitary one-bedroom apartment. But when she discovers a notebook left behind by a mysterious woman at the café, Cassie’s world is forever changed. The notebook’s stunningly explicit confessions shock and fascinate Cassie, and eventually lead her to S∙E∙C∙R∙E∙T, an underground society dedicated to helping women realize their wildest, most intimate sexual fantasies. Cassie soon immerses herself in an electrifying journey through a series of ten rapturous fantasies with gorgeous men who awaken and satisfy her like never before. As she is set free from her inhibitions, she discovers a new confidence that transforms her, giving her the courage to live passionately. Equal parts enticing, liberating and emotionally powerful, S∙E∙C∙R∙E∙T is a world where fantasy becomes reality.


Disclosure: I received this book free of charge via Net Galley for the purpose of review.
                        It will be published on 2/5/13.


My rate & take



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This book felt so much more encompassing than what the blurb gives you. It felt like I followed the journey right beside the main character, Cassie Robichaud.  And the confidence and empowerment she experienced was contagious....in the best way possible. If only there were secret societies like this to help all the women of the world! The end of the book came very abruptly and I was not expecting it to end as it did - it just about knocked the breath out of me! At first I didn't think I loved the ending, but given a few minutes to think it over I realized it ended exactly as it should have.


Saturday, January 5, 2013

Beautifully Delicious



Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful Bastard, #1)Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren


An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. Discover the story that garnered more than two million reads online.

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office.

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win each other. Originally only available online as The Office by tby789—and garnering over two million reads on fan fiction sites—Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.




Disclosure: I received this book free of charge from Net Galley for the purposes of reviewing. The publication date for this book is 2/12/13.



My rate & take



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Oh my, I sure am a lucky girl to have found a book that kept me warm in this frozen north I am living in! I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from reading the book blurb, and then the first few pages felt a little rough...but that all changed very quickly. What I liked most is that the format of this book differed from other books of the same genre. Rather than waiting for a gradual plot build to get to the action this book gave me the action right up front. I can't relay in words just how much fun this was to read!! If you like your books on the steamy side, you need to add this book to your wish list, like right now!!


Thursday, January 3, 2013

I'm thinking


Thoughtless (Thoughtless, #1)Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens


For almost two years now, Kiera's boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she's ever wanted: loving, tender and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together, Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university, everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart.

Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source—a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he's purely a friend that she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes...and none of them will ever be the same.



My rate & take


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I really did enjoy this book and the sweetness from it has lingered with me, always a sign I liked what I read.

Can you feel the 'but' coming? The 'but' would be that my enjoyment was marred a bit by the seemingly endless back and forth the female lead had about staying with her safe and comfortable boyfriend or being with her hot rock star roommate....I think about 1/3 the book could have been edited out from her agonizing and readers still would have gotten the picture about her internal struggles. 'BUT' if you think this book could be your cup of tea I do not want to talk you out of it, because it really is a sweet read!