Alpha encounter

The Alpha Group Complete collection (1-3) by Maya Cross


Sophia Pearce only has eyes for one thing; a partnership position at her prestigious Sydney law firm. But when a drunken bout of curiosity leads her somewhere forbidden, she meets Sebastian Lock, and in the blink of an eye, everything changes. Gorgeous, commanding, and radiating charm, he is exactly the sort of silver-tongued rake Sophia has sworn to avoid. Unfortunately, he doesn't care much for her promises. 

Every instinct tells her to run, but the chemistry between them is as inescapable as gravity. Soon, he's opening her eyes to a whole new world of pleasures, pleasures she never thought she'd enjoy.

There's just one problem. Sebastian is more than he seems. Between the famous company he keeps and the almost paranoid secrecy of his employers, he's a puzzle Sophia can't quite solve. Their passion for one another consumes them, but as Sebastian's secrets begin to unravel and lives are thrown into jeopardy, Sophia must answer one simple question. What is she willing to risk for love?


Rate & take






Heat Index  3 ☼☼☼

I thought I might be gambling a bit with this title - something about it made me think it would turn out to be too cheesy or just plain formula. Happily I was wrong. The plot kept my interest all the way through, I liked that the author mixed the intrigue with the heat.
I'm glad I got to read the three at one time because they just flowed so much better that way....and I didn't have any wait time. If you choose to read this title, once you are finished you can go to the author's site and sign up for her newsletter. They will then send you a link with a different ending to the book. This alternate ending is something I had thought of, but weighing both endings, I think the author chose just the right one to use in the final cut.

Three treat

Three titles by Scarlett Dawn From the Forever Evermore Series

King Hall — where the Mysticals go to learn their craft, get their degrees, and transition into adulthood. And where four new Rulers will rise and meet their destinies.

Lily Ruckler is adept at one thing: survival. Born a Mystical hybrid, her mere existence is forbidden, but her nightmare is only about to start. Fluke, happenstance, and a deep personal loss finds Lily deeply entrenched with those who would destroy her simply for existing — The Mystical Kings. Being named future Queen of the Shifters shoves Lily into the spotlight, making her one of the most visible Mysticals in the world. But with risk comes a certain solace — her burgeoning friendships with the other three Prodigies: a wicked Vampire, a wild-child Mage, and a playboy Elemental. Backed by their faith and trust, Lily begins to relax into her new life.

Then chaos erupts as the fragile peace between Commoners and Mysticals is broken, and suddenly Lily realises the greatest threat was never from within, and her fear takes on a new name: the revolution. 

King Cave - The safe, comfortable world of Lily Ruckler and her fellow Mystical Kings and Queens is rocked to the core by the attacks at King Hall. Not only does Lily have to kill the Commoners attacking her people, she also has to assume the mantle of leadership, and bring the surviving Mysticals to King Cave.

It should have been too much, but she is not alone. Ezra becomes her rock, her best friend, the one person who understands. As Pearl and Jack struggle with inconsolable loss, Ezra and Lily work to keep the Mys community safe in their new home, and plan a deadly retaliation.

Their friendship saves them both...but it also draws attention. Whispers. Judgment. It's not normal for Shifters and Vampires to be friends, and when a horrifying truth is revealed, their relationship morphs from unusual to unspeakable. Lily is good at keeping secrets that could get her killed. Is she willing to risk Ezra's life as well?

King Tomb - Queen Shifter, Lily Ruckler, has found solace in brutal warfare. Her bloodied fists and bared fangs fill the holes left in her memory, the blank spaces that leave her soul aching and empty. Her only pleasure is in blood; her only salvation is the relationship she has with her infant child, the baby of unknown origins who brings her solace and stability.

When Elder Harcourt summons Lily and her protector Antonio back to the United States, Lily thinks nothing unusual about the change of location. But a standard reconnaissance mission leaves her trapped inside King Zeller’s private quarters, and at his mercy. Surprise attraction rapidly turns to a battle of wills and an intense power struggle that leaves no clear victor but plenty of resentment.

They are not allowed to nurse their wounds. In order to win the war against the Commoners, the King Vampire and Queen Shifter must work together. It should be easy. The war is turning, the battle is deadly, and both Lily and Ezra love the cold cleanliness of combat. But their chance meeting has led to more than an unlikely alliance. Secrets have a way of surfacing, especially on a torn-up battlefield, and Lily and Ezra are about to re-learn all they cannot remember. If they can’t control their emotions and responses, it will be to their own ruin and the destruction of everything around them.

Rare & take





Heat Index 3 ☼☼☼


Such an entertaining read with a plot that breezes right along with humor, tension, mystery, and some great doses of heat between characters. Imagine that the world knows all about shifters, vampires, elementals, and mages. Now imagine how peaceful our world be with that knowledge. Especially with portions of humans and the gifted wanting their side to be the only ones.

The four groups of gifted each have a king or a queen to rule them/resolve disputes and each generation produces a new set. Once they come of age the former kings/queens become elders available to advise and assist the new rulers. The training involved to become a king/queen is extensive and sometimes dangerous. And even though they all have their abilities they are just like regular people in that some elder sets get along better than others.

I enjoyed these book so much I might just read them again back to back. I was not able to do that the first time as only book one and two are out to the public at this time. I received book three a few weeks after I finished the first two, via NetGalley in exchange for my review. King Tomb will be out this October.

I want to go on and on about the story that unfolds over the three books, but I'm afraid of inadvertent spoilers. I will say there was one plot twist that was extra twisty and had my jaw dangling open for some time. Once I got over the shock I fully approved of the way it added spice to the story. Which will be your favorite plot twist??

This is a new series and new author for me, and I am smitten!

Series Me

Pierced by Sydney Landen

Lucian Quinn is the wonder boy of the business world. At twenty-nine, he owns one of the hottest software companies in the world. Personally, his life has been filled with tragedy and loss. He has learned to use his hate to survive and even thrive professionally, but his demons are always there, lurking just out of sight.

Lia Adams is a college student who has suffered through years of abuse at home to get to where she is today. She has done whatever was necessary to survive, including working as an escort for Date Night to pay for her education. Her life changes forever the day that Lucian Quinn’s friend convinces him to hire an escort for an important business dinner.

Circumstances bring two people that should have never crossed paths together and in the days and weeks ahead, they grow close quickly, each seeing a kindred soul in the other. As ghosts from their past rise to haunt them, they cling to each other as their lives start to spiral out of control. Soon, they realize that they’re both damaged possibly beyond repair. Will their love be what saves or destroys them?

Rate & take

Oh woe is me! Why do I always find the coolest books that make me want to hide away and read for days/hours.....only to find out it's basically a brand new book and I will have an impatient wait until the next....and the next, get published. I know what you are thinking, in the scheme of problems this is not a real one. But I still reserve the right to moan about it here just a little.

This book had so much going for it, humor, mystery, intrigue. The main characters had a real spark that kept the story going at a dizzying pace until I had to swear out loud because I was out of book. Don't you hate that? So sad when a good book runs out. Needless to say I have already noted the projected publication date (12/20/14) in my planner and hope all will be on schedule for it.

New kind of dead

Die for Me by Amy Plum

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.




Rate & take








A new-to-me group of living dead that are hot and do good works, sign me up! I really enjoyed this book and all it's characters. Oh, and there was a main female lead in it too that didn't annoy me at all!! My only question is do I want to go on in the series knowing that every book is going to keep my couple apart? I'm not sure my happily ever after loving heart will be able to take all that angst along the bumpy road to true love. But if I do change my mind, you will be the first to know!

In Da Club***

Gone Girl by Gilliam Fylnn


On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?


Rate & take






***I could not resist the song title because this book truly is from a club....it's the very first book to be reviewed by our newly formed and yet-to-be-named, book club at work.
At the end of this review I will share with you the first found of books that have been selected by each member of the group. I also hear that once the crazy days of summer are over we will get even more takers!! I hope this is a good thing since my first three tries at a book club did not work out so well.

The review; My first thoughts were, "I did not see that coming." This was a thought that came to me more than once during this read. Layer upon layer of things being not quite as they seem and then terrifying when I stepped back to consider how it all fit together. And knowing that it's not impossible from happening in real life, It's like I said, terrifying. Oh, and brilliant too. The writing was smooth and let me hang just enough before an answer was given to the question about to form on my lips.

This book should lend lots of material for book club discussion...I'm just afraid our lunch break will be too short to cover it all.

As promised, here is a list of our book club choices so far...


August 2014 Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
September 2014 Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
October 2014 In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
November 2014 PlainSong by Kent Haruf
December 2014 Comstock Lode by Louis L'Amour

I think in December we will pick the next round. Wish us luck!!

Strung out

The Arrangement 15 by H.M. Ward


It's hard to trust anyone anymore. Everyone is suspect. And I have no reprieve, no rest. I can't sleep after all I've been through.

Sean is slipping away, receding back into the monster he was. Alone, I'm being smothered by death's cold shroud. Too many people have died -- this ends tonight. If it kills me, so be it.










Rate & take






Here we are 15 installments in and no resolution in sight. Some fans are now turning angry and saying they will no longer buy and follow the story. I'm not angry, and for a change I'm not impatient, I'm just chillin' and enjoying the quality ride I am getting. The only thing negative I can say is that before I know it I am out of pages....I wish each one would be longer than an hour or two read.

Mindful Minding

Minding the Manor by Mollie Moran


Born in 1916 in Norfolk, Mollie Moran is one of the few people still alive today who can recall working "downstairs" in the golden years of the early 1930's before the outbreak of WWII. She provides a rare and fascinating insight into a world that has long since vanished. Mollie left school at age fourteen and became a scullery maid for a wealthy gentleman with a mansion house in London’s Knighsbridge and a Tudor manor in Norfolk.

            Even though Mollie's days were long and grueling and included endless tasks, such as polishing doorknobs, scrubbing steps, and helping with all of the food prep in the kitchen, she enjoyed her freedom and had a rich life. Like any bright-eyed teenager, Mollie also spent her days daydreaming about boys, dresses, and dances. She became fast friends with the kitchen maid Flo, dated a sweet farmhand, and became secretly involved with a brooding, temperamental footman. Molly eventually rose to kitchen maid for Lord Islington and then cook for the Earl of Leicester's niece at the magnificent Wallington Hall.



Rate & Take






This was such a lovely read and a great glimpse into a time gone by. I'm sure we've all seen a movie or show or read a period book that depicted what life was like for someone in service, here is the goods straight from a someone who lived it for a decade. It gave me a lot to think about. This young girl working hard 15 hour days and for the most part was very happy, while I wondered how happy the moneyed people she served were. Tied as they were to rigid social protocols that narrowly defined how they were to conduct every part of their lives. Once World War II arrived the pampered days of manor's full of servants doing the bidding of a few, crumbled with the demands of feeding the war effort. I could not imagine how an aristocrat with no practical household skills went from being fully cared for to being the only caretaker around. Talk about rude awakening! 
This book was a joy to read.