With No Remorse by Cindy Gerard {review}

With No Remorse
{Black Ops Inc #6}
by Cindy Gerard

Mass Market Paperback, 360 pages
Published July 19th 2011 by Pocket Star

Black Ops, Inc. operative Luke – Doc Holliday – Colter is taking some much needed down-time, making his way across the Peruvian Andes via rail, when banditos attack the moving train in the midnight hours. It soon becomes apparent that robbery is not their intent but the abduction of super model Valentina, who is traveling incognito while recovering from a public scandal involving her ex-husband, high profile US Senator, Marcus Chamberlin. Luke whisks Valentina off the train in a daring escape but the two of them become the targets of a relentless manhunt. Enlisting the aid of Luke's BOI teammates, they soon discover that Val’s intended abduction is linked to a plot put in play by an international gun smuggling alliance. The BOI team led by Luke, with Val along as a necessary pawn, must race halfway around the world to thwart a ruthless attack that would not only result in a devastating loss of life but destroy a tenuous peace the US and her allies have established in a vastly unstable part of the world.

First Line: Luke Colter's number one rule of self-preservation: Don't ignore the itch.

My Review: I love, Love, LOVE this series!

Cindy Gerard can write like no one's business! She nails the characters, she nails the setting(s)in her stories... she nails the story of the men in the Black Ops Inc series!

Bravo! Bravo!

Cindy Gerard never wastes a single page, paragraph sentence... it's all gold and With No Remorse you get it all!


Luke Colter is a deep sexy man who is dealing with a whole lot of BS from his past... things he is uncertain he can overcome but this does not stop him from being a stand up man and doing what is right when it comes to an innocent person... Valentina!

Valentina was a very believable character to me and she too has things from her past that are haunting her. I enjoyed how she was a strong when it would have been so easy for her to crumple.

With this book ( and the whole series) you get action, sexiness, and believable story lines. I dare you to put these books down once you start this series. While With No Remorse could stand alone I would suggest reading this series in order only because Cindy Gerard brings a lot (most) characters back in each story.

My Rating:


Until next time...Happy Reading!

Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas {review}

Love in the Afternoon
(The Hathaways #5)

by Lisa Kleypas
Mass Market Paperback, 332 pages

Published June 29th 2010 by St. Martin'

As a lover of animals and nature, Beatrix Hathaway has always been more comfortable outdoors than in the ballroom. Even though she participated in the London season in the past, the classic beauty and free-spirited Beatrix has never been swept away or seriously courted...and she has resigned herself to the fate of never finding love. Has the time come for the most unconventional of the Hathaway sisters to settle for an ordinary man--just to avoid spinsterhood?

Captain Christopher Phelan is a handsome, daring soldier who plans to marry Beatrix's friend, the vivacious flirt Prudence Mercer, when he returns from fighting abroad. But, as he explains in his letters to Pru, life on the battlefield has darkened his soul--and it's becoming clear that Christopher won't come back as the same man. When Beatrix learns of Pru's disappointment, she decides to help by concocting Pru's letters to Christopher for her. Soon the correspondence between Beatrix and Christopher develops into something fulfilling and deep...and when Christopher comes home, he's determined to claim the woman he loves. What began as Beatrix's innocent deception has resulted in the agony of unfulfilled love--and a passion that can't be denied...

Favorite Line(s): He took a ragged breath. "You should know that I've always wanted you, Cat. I've had fantasies so wicked, it would send us both straight to hell if I told them to you. And the way I want you has nothing to do with the color of your hair, or the appalling fashions you wear." His hand passed gently over her head. " Catherine Marks, or whoever you are... I have the most profane desire to be in bed with you for...oh, weeks, at least...committing every mortal sin known to man. I'd like to do more than sketch you naked. I want to draw directly on you with feather and ink...flowers around your breasts, trails of stars down your thighs." He let his warm lips brush the edge of her ear. "I want to map your body, chart the north, south, east and west of you. I would-"

My Review: A solid ending to an amazing series!
Great job Lisa Kleypas

My Rating:

**My catch up reviews are going to be short and sweet if it is a book I picked up on my own free will. The end of the year will be here before we I know it and I don't want to start it behind in reviews.

Until next time...Happy Reading!

Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas {Review}

Married By Morning
(The Hathaways #4)

by Lisa Kleypas

Mass Market Paperback, 341 pages

Published May 25th 2010
by St. Martin's Paperbacks

He is everything she wants to avoid...

For two years, Catherine Marks has been a paid companion to the Hathaway sisters --- a pleasant position, with one caveat. Her charges' older brother, Leo Hathaway, is thoroughly exasperating. Cat can hardly believe that their constant arguing could mask a mutual attraction. But when one quarrel ends in a sudden kiss, Cat is shocked at her powerful response --- and even more so when Leo proposes a dangerous liaison.

She is not at all what she seems...

Leo must marry and produce an heir within a year to save his family home. Catherine's respectable demeanor hides a secret that would utterly destroy her. But to Leo, Cat is intriguing and infernally tempting, even to a man resolved never to love again. The danger Cat tried to outrun is about to separate them forever --- unless two wary lovers can find a way to banish the shadows and give in to their desires ...

First Line(s): Anyone who had ever read a novel knew that governesses were supposed to be meek and downtrodden.

Favorite Line(s): “You seem to think you have a choice," Cam said. "But you have it backwards. Love chooses you. The shadow moves as the sun commands.”

My Review: I think Leo ranks in my top 10 favorite H characters! Sure he was moody has hell but I found him very endearing. I loved finally reading his story!

I would recommend this series to anyone, it is that good... Leo is an added bonus and lucky us he is in every book!


My Rating:

** Playing catch up on all my old reviews. If I picked a book up on my own free will, the reviews are going to be short and sweet. The New Year will be here before we know it and I don't want to start off behind. All these reviews are stressing me out so I plan on hammering them out the only way I know how!

Until next time...Happy Reading!

Instant Temptation by Jill Shalvis {Review}

Instant Temptation

(Wilder #3)

by Jill Shalvis

Paperback, 273 pages

Published April 1st 2010 by Brava

T.J. Wilder is the perfect package of breathtaking adventure and raw sex appeal. Even better, he's about to reconnect with the one woman he's never been able to forget...

Get Your Pulse Racing

To Harley, the landscape around Wishful, California, is exhilarating, untamed, and more than a little dangerous. The same could be said for T.J. Wilder, who's invited himself along on her trek to study a rare coyote. Harley's career is riding on this trip, and she doesn't need a stubborn, incredibly sexy distraction. But T.J. is a professional guide who knows when to stay back and when to provide invaluable expertise-just like he's done since they were in high school. And Harley, as usual, is torn between throttling him and giving in to the raw attraction that's been smoldering all these years.

T.J. knows how proud and capable Harley is, but he's damned sure not letting her put herself at risk when there are illegal hunters in the area. She needs him, with the same soul-stirring urgency that he's always craved her. And here, in this beautiful place days from civilization, he'll finally have a chance to prove it-over and over again...

First Line(s): If you asked TJ Wilder to chose between a warm Autumn night in the Sierras or a warm woman, he knew that most people would put money on him taking the woman.

Favorite Line(s): "oh honey" her mom stroked her hair. "If there's one thing you've always been, it's strong as hell; mind, body and spirit. You're sure what you want. All you have to do is admit it."

My Review: If you can get past the weak suspense plot that is weaved into the story you will be left with a gem of a book!

I have read many many books and I can honestly say that Jill Shalvis made the Wilder boys stand out in my heart. They are so endearing in the way they choose to take on each day with all they got and that there is nothing more important than family!

With that said I believe TJ would be the Wilder boy to win my heart out of the 3 of them. I can't pinpoint what he has that his brothers don't, but I loved him!!!

I am sad to see the end of this series ( I assume it is the end?). The Wilder family will stick with me for years to come.

If you want a fun, sexy, sweet and witty series to start... these 3 books is a great one to pick!

My Rating:


Until next time...Happy Reading!

Instant Temptation by Jill Shalvis {Review}

Instant Temptation

(Wilder #3)

by Jill Shalvis

Paperback, 273 pages

Published April 1st 2010 by Brava

T.J. Wilder is the perfect package of breathtaking adventure and raw sex appeal. Even better, he's about to reconnect with the one woman he's never been able to forget...

Get Your Pulse Racing

To Harley, the landscape around Wishful, California, is exhilarating, untamed, and more than a little dangerous. The same could be said for T.J. Wilder, who's invited himself along on her trek to study a rare coyote. Harley's career is riding on this trip, and she doesn't need a stubborn, incredibly sexy distraction. But T.J. is a professional guide who knows when to stay back and when to provide invaluable expertise-just like he's done since they were in high school. And Harley, as usual, is torn between throttling him and giving in to the raw attraction that's been smoldering all these years.

T.J. knows how proud and capable Harley is, but he's damned sure not letting her put herself at risk when there are illegal hunters in the area. She needs him, with the same soul-stirring urgency that he's always craved her. And here, in this beautiful place days from civilization, he'll finally have a chance to prove it-over and over again...

First Line(s): If you asked TJ Wilder to chose between a warm Autumn night in the Sierras or a warm woman, he knew that most people would put money on him taking the woman.

Favorite Line(s): "oh honey" her mom stroked her hair. "If there's one thing you've always been, it's strong as hell; mind, body and spirit. You're sure what you want. All you have to do is admit it."

My Review: If you can get past the weak suspense plot that is weaved into the story you will be left with a gem of a book!

I have read many many books and I can honestly say that Jill Shalvis made the Wilder boys stand out in my heart. They are so endearing in the way they choose to take on each day with all they got!

With that said I believe TJ would be the Wilder boy to win my heart out of the 3 of them. I can't pinpoint what he has that his brothers don't, but I loved him!!!

I am sad to see the end of this series ( I assume it is the end?). The Wilder family will stick with me for years to come.

If you want a fun, sexy, sweet and witty series to start... these 3 books is a great one to pick!

My Rating:


Until next time...Happy Reading!

One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost {Review}

One Grave at a Time: A Night Huntress Novel

(Night Huntress #8)
by Jeaniene Frost

Mass Market Paperback, 358 pages
Published August 30th 2011 by Avon Books (Mm)

The grave is one wrong step away.

Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans' voodoo queen just keeps on giving--leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.

Centuries ago, Heinrich Kramer was a witch hunter. Now, every All Hallows Eve, he takes physical form to torture innocent women before burning them alive. This year, however, a determined Cat and Bones must risk all to send him back to the other side of eternity--forever. But how do you kill a killer who's already long dead?

First Line(s): "Donald Bartholomew Williams, get your ass back here now!"

Favorite Line(s): "I've watched you barely escape death several times, and each instance killed me a little inside. They may be dormant now, but we have enemies both cunning and cruel. Knowing you possess the power to defeat most of them doesn't threaten me, luv. It relieves me to my very core."

My Review: Where was the smoking hot sex scenes?!?!?

Okay, okay I know there is a lot more to the story than Bones and Cat going at it but I am not going to lie.... it's a big part for me!

Hi my name is Tena and I must be a horndog! I can handle that.

Okay, off to the actual review of One Grave at a Time... it was just alright for me. I am such a hufe fan of Jeaniene Frost and this series that I have such high hopes every time a new book comes out. Maybe too high? I found the plot to be clever and fresh ( at least to me) but I think I have hit a Paranormal wall. Maybe I have just moved on from this genre?

I would never take away from the hard work of an author and there are many awesome things about this book... the same amazing cast of characters are all back in this installment.

I just left this book not really having much to take with me. There is no love loss!

With that said I think I am going to take a few months off from this genre and start fresh in the new year!

My Rating:

Until next time...Happy Reading!

Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas {Review}

Tempt Me at Twilight

(The Hathaways #3)
by Lisa Kleypas

Mass Market Paperback, 373 pages
Published September 22nd 2009 by St. Martin's Paperbacks

Poppy Hathaway loves her unconventional family, though she longs for normalcy. Then fate leads to a meeting with Harry Rutledge, an enigmatic hotel owner and inventor with wealth, power, and a dangerous hidden life. When their flirtation compromises her own reputation, Poppy shocks everyone by accepting his proposal—only to find that her new husband offers his passion, but not his trust.

Harry was willing to do anything to win Poppy—except to open his heart. All his life, he has held the world at arm’s length…but the sharp, beguiling Poppy demands to be his wife in every way that matters. Still, as desire grows between them, an enemy lurks in the shadows. Now if Harry wants to keep Poppy by his side, he must forge a true union of body and soul, once and for all...

First Line(s): Her chances of a decent marriage were about to be dashed- and all because of a ferret.

Favorite Line(s): It was finally becoming clear to her that love wasn't about finding someone perfect to marry. Love was about seeing through to the truth of a person and accepting all their shades of light and dark. Love was an ability.

My Review: This book was fantastic!!
The Hathaway siblings just might be the most enduring family I have read about in a very long time. They are so real! The accept their lot in life and don't try to change for others... it's a breath of fresh air. I love how Lisa Klyepas wrote Poppy and Harry's first encounter, it was suspenseful and dreamlike all tied together with a nice red bow.

My favorite part of this book had to be Leo ( I believe I said this in the last book as well). Lisa Kleypas has big plans for Leo when it is his turn to have the book all about him. He is a miserable, insuffable male with an ego so big I am suprise it fits in the house, but it works! I love him!

While I believe each of these books could stand alone you would be missing out on so much if you didn't start at the beginning, especially when it comes to Leo!

My Rating:

Stay tuned for the next two books in the series. I have read them just need to find the time to get the reviews up and running!

Until next time...Happy Reading!

Instant Gratification by Jill Shalvis {Review}

Instant Gratification

(Wilder #2)
by Jill Shalvis

Paperback, 284 pages
Published July 1st 2009 by Brava

In Instant Attraction, Jill Shalvis introduced Cameron, Stone, and T.J.—the sexy, daredevil brothers who run Wilder Adventures. And for Stone Wilder, the thrill of a lifetime is about to arrive in a surprising package. . .

The Doctor Is In Deep

Wishful, California, is 3000 miles from Dr. Emma Sinclair's last job in a New York City ER. It may as well be another galaxy. Here, running her father's clinic for a summer, Emma treats bee stings, stomach flu, and the occasional pet cat. Plus, she has to contend with patients like Stone Wilder: gorgeous, laid-back, and irritating beyond belief. The man laughs at her. A lot. And Emma loathes him. All except that tiny part of her that wants to throw him on her examining table and break every doctor-patient rule in the book. . .

When Stone tries to help Emma learn to loosen up a bit, he pictures white-water rafting or scenic mountain hikes. Not a mind-blowing affair that shakes them both to the core. Emma's sure she has no place in a town like Wishful, but Stone knows different. Emma belongs here—in this town, in his life. And convincing this strong-minded, stubborn, sexy woman of that fact will be a challenge no Wilder man could resist. . .

First Line(s): Hot and bothered, and not in the good way, Dr. Emma Sinclair switched the sign on her father's medical clinic from closed to open.

Favorite Line(s): "Yeah, and a smile that always puts one on my mouth as well, and a way of looking at me that weeds through all the bullshit and sees the real me. You make me laugh, you make me think. You turn me on Emma, in everyway." As proven when he sttled his hands on her hips and pulled her into him so that she could feel him, fully aroused. "You are truly the most beautiful woman I'ver ever had the pleasure of kissing."

My Review: I love Jill Shalvis' writing so much. I'm waiting to pick up one of her novels and feel like it was a "miss" for me but it just hasn't happened yet ( maybe never?). Jill Shalvis is a winner ( maybe she has tiger's blood). Her writing is funny, witty, light-hearted, and deep with the emotions!

We all know the motto of not judging a book by the cover... this series is a prime example of why we should not do this! The covers do NOT do this series justice! Instant Gratification could stand alone without reading the first book in the series, but I would suggest reading them in order. These brothers are too drool worthy to miss one single detail about them. I am the least outdoorsy girl ever and if I knew they would be the one's dragging me around the mountain tops I would sign up in a heartbeat! Yum-o!

My Rating:



Stay tuned for the review of Instant Temptation later on this week!

Until next time...Happy Reading!

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot {Review}

Size 12 is not Fat

By Meg Cabot

Paperback, 345 pages

Published January 1st, 2006 by Avon Trade

Heather Wells Rocks! 

Or, at least, she did. That was before she left the pop-idol life behind after she gained a dress size or two — and lost a boyfriend, a recording contract, and her life savings (when Mom took the money and ran off to Argentina). Now that the glamour and glory days of endless mall appearances are in the past, Heather's perfectly happy with her new size 12 shape (the average for the American woman!) and her new job as an assistant dorm director at one of New York's top colleges. That is, until the dead body of a female student from Heather's residence hall is discovered at the bottom of an elevator shaft. 

The cops and the college president are ready to chalk the death off as an accident, the result of reckless youthful mischief. But Heather knowsteenage girls . . . and girls do not elevator surf. Yet no one wants to listen — not the police, her colleagues, or the P.I. who owns the brownstone where she lives — even when more students start turning up dead in equally ordinary and subtly sinister ways. So Heather makes the decision to take on yet another new career: as spunky girl detective! 

But her new job comes with few benefits, no cheering crowds, and lots of liabilities, some of them potentially fatal. And nothing ticks off a killer more than a portly ex-pop star who's sticking her nose where it doesn't belong . . .

First Line: "Um hello. Is anyone out there?"

Favorite Line: "Because size 12 is the size of the average American woman," I point out to him.  (Page 6)

My Review:

I have to say this book was just what I needed after the last couple books I have read.  It was a light, humorous read with a side of suspense.  Heather Wells is such a comedic character. You can’t help but squirm in your seat in hopes she gets out of the tough spots she gets herself into.  There are so many other colorful characters that you can’t help but love and others you can't help but hate. 

I absolutely loved that this book had two things I like to have in a book, drama and comedy. It may not be hard-hitting literature, but who can go wrong with a book that has you laughing out loud. This is one of those books that will go great with a glass of wine on the side. Nothing beats that! 

My Rating:

Until next time... Happy Reading!

Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas {Review}

Seduce Me at Sunrise

(The Hathaways #2)
by Lisa Kleypas

Mass Market Paperback, 360 pages
Published October 1st 2008 by St. Martin's Paperbacks

Kev Merripen has longed for the beautiful, well-bred Winnifred Hathaway ever since her family rescued him from the brink of death when he was just a boy. But this handsome Gypsy is a man of mysterious origins—and he fears that the darkness of his past could crush delicate, luminous Win. So Kev refuses to submit to temptation…and before long Win is torn from him by a devastating twist of fate.

Then, Win returns to England…only to find that Kev has hardened into a man who will deny love at all costs. Meantime, an attractive, seductive suitor has set his sights on Win. It’s now or never for Kev to make his move. But first, he must confront a dangerous secret about his destiny—or risk losing the only woman he has lived for…

First Line: Win had always thought Kev Merripen was beautiful, in the way that an austere landscape pr a wintry day could be beautiful.
Favorite Line(s): Kev loved her. Not in the way that novelists and poets described. Nothing so tame. He loved her beyond earth, Heaven or hell. Every moment out of her company was agony; every moment with her was the only peace he had known. Every touch of her hands left an imprint that ate down to his soul. He would have killed himself before admitting it to anyone. The truth was buried deep in his heart.

and

I love you, he thought, looking at Win. I love every part of you, every thought and word...the entire complex fascinating bundle of all things you are. I want you with 10 different kinds of need at once. I love all the season of you, the way you are now, the thought of how much more beautiful you'll be in the decades to come. I love you for being the answer to every question my heart could ask.

My Review: Seduce Me at Sunrise was a tad predictable, but if we are being honest with ourselves most romance novels are. In Seduce Me at Sunrise you will get tenderness, sweetness, rawness all tied neatly together in one heart warming story that will pull at your heart strings.

Kev "Merripen" has words that can melt a woman's panties off her in 10 seconds flat! Did you not see the above section entitled "Favorite Line(s). I mean Dr. Harrow, who?!?! HA! Merripen is almost to go to be true... Win is one lucky lady!

Added bonus we got to re-visit the rest of The Hathaway siblings. The sisters are so endearing and kind and dare I say we even got to see a new side to brother, Leo!

This book is smokin perfection!

My Rating:

Stay tuned... the rest of the Hathaway Series is coming up for review(s)

Until next time...Happy Reading!

Strong and Sexy by Jill Shalvis {Review}

Strong and Sexy

(Sky High Air #2)

by Jill Shalvis

Paperback, 320 pages
Published January 1st 2007 by Brava

Starring the wildly seductive heroes Noah, Shayne, and Brody, Jill Shalvis's exhilarating new series features a delectable concoction of sex appeal and adventure. Whether they're up in the air or between the sheets, these hot, hardy pilots know exactly where the action is.
BLOWING IT ALL SKY HIGH

In a family of serious over-achievers, Shayne Mahoney has always been the laid-back, easy-going rebel. But running Sky High Air-a charter airline catering to the rich and famous-is a dream come true, in-flight specials included. Like kissing his client's beautiful, brainy daughter in a coat closet. But before Shayne can say "Fasten Your Seatbelts," Dani claims to witness a murder, gets stalked in her own apartment, and as added bonus, gets them both shot at by a mystery sniper. Normally Shayne would be running from the obviously crazy woman, and yet he finds himself trying to help her, leaving him to doubt his own sanity.

There's a reason Dani never attends her mother's high society parties. The fake people, the shallow conversation-and the fact that she doesn't fit in. She's a zoologist, not a starlet, and happy about it, even if she wishes men like ruggedly handsome Shayne Mahoney would spare her a second glance. Of course, dodging bullets isn't exactly what she'd call the perfect follow-up to their heated kiss, but Shayne makes it clear she can depend on him. All she has to do is hold on tight to his delicious hard body until the ride is over.

First Line(s): She rushed into Shayne Mahoney's party as if there was a firecracker on her ass, wobbling on heels she clearly wasn't comfortable in, wearing a little black dress that revealed pale, porcelain curves most people found unfashionable these days.

Favorite Line(s): n/a

My Review: Strong and Sexy demonstrates the witty, romance, smoking hot and adventure that we have all grown to love in Jill Shalvis' novels.

Shayne and Dani played off each other in every element of this story. Whether it be the way they were at each other's throats, the heated chemistry and hott sex... it worked well throughout the whole story.

I felt the ending to be a tad rushed but if that is the worst thing I can come up with than I'd say we still have a winner on our hands.

Strong and Sexy lives up to it's title!

My Rating:

Here at CBS we think a rating of a 3 is a solid read!

Until next time...Happy Reading!

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas {Review}

Mine Till Midnight

(The Hathaways #1)
by Lisa Kleypas

360 pages
Published October 2nd 2007 by St. Martin's Paperbacks

When an unexpected inheritance elevates her family to the ranks of the aristocracy, Amelia Hathaway discovers that tending to her younger sisters and wayward brother was easy compared to navigating the intricacies of the ton. Even more challenging: the attraction she feels for the tall, dark, and dangerously handsome Cam Rohan.

Wealthy beyond most men's dreams, Cam has tired of society's petty restrictions and longs to return to his "uncivilized" Gypsy roots. When the delectable Amelia appeals to him for help, he intends to offer only friendship--but intentions are no match for the desire that blindsides them both. But can a man who spurns tradition be tempted into that most time-honored arrangement: marriage? Life in London society is about to get a whole lot hotter….

First Line(s) Finding one person ina city of nearly two million was a formidable task.

Favorite Line(s) “I'm not the marrying kind -"
St. Vincent snorted. "No man is. Marriage is a female invention.”
and
“The Rom believe you should take the road that calls to you, and never turn back. Because you never know what adventures await." ... "So we're going to take this road," he murmured, "and see where it leads.”
and
“She shook her head as she confessed, "I want it so much, I'm afraid to hope."
"Never be afraid to hope," Rohan said gently. "It's the
only way to begin."

Seriously I could keep going!

My Review: Where oh where do I find megypsy lover like Mr. Cam? Sign me up and I will travel the world to find him!

I loved, Loved, LOVED this book! Mine Till Midnight was pure entertainment, sexy as hell and beautifully descriptive ( I really felt like I took a trip via a time machine). . Cam and Amelia were what 5 star couple's are made of, they had a amazing chemisty.

I always do the happy dance when I finally start a serious that has so much hype and is complete ( means I don't have to wait), and more importantly a series that lives up to the hype!

Mine Till Midnight was my first book read by Lisa Kleypas! Next up is The Wallflowers. I am reading backwards but that is okay, I will live.

My Rating:

Do you see that my loves... a 5!! I can't even remember the last book I gave a 5 to. Wit woo!!

Until next time...Happy Reading!

Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis {Review}

Instant Attraction

(Wilder #1)
by Jill Shalvis

302 pages
Published February 1st 2009 by Brava

The first in a sensational new series, Jill Shalvis introduces Cameron, Stone, and T.J. Wilder—three bad-boy heroes who effortlessly mix breathtaking adventure and scorching sex appeal...

Get Wild...And Then Get Wilder...

Accountant Katie Kramer is a quintessential good girl—working hard, recycling diligently, all the while trying to ignore the feeling that she doesn't fit in anywhere. That's all she wants. Well, that—and amazing sex, and the kind of daredevil escapade she can look back on when she's crunching numbers in a dusty cubicle. Which explains why she just took a job in Wishful, California, working for Wilder Adventures and Expeditions. Waking up to find a magnificently built stranger towering over her bed—that part defies explanation...

After wandering the planet for months following a life-changing accident, Cameron Wilder has come back to the only home he knows. Under other circumstances, he might be thrilled to find a gorgeous woman sleeping in his cabin, but now, while he'll risk his body taking clients on adrenaline-drenched excursions, his heart is off limits. Still, Katie's killer smile triggers something deep in his gut...among other places. Showing her how exhilarating it can be to stop balancing her life as if it was a checkbook is the biggest rush he's ever felt—and an adventure Katie's wishing would never end. . .

"Jill Shalvis sweeps you away."—Cherry Adair

First Line(s): "Live life balls out," Katie Kramer told herself every night and even though she didn't own a pair, she hoped the manta would keep the nightmares away.

Favorite Line(s): “Who’s there?”
“The scratcher of your itch,” he said.
She opened the door a crack and stuck her nose out. “Was that supposed to be romantic?”

My Review: First thing first... the cover model threw me off on what I thought Cameron Wilder looked like from the story. I normally don't put entirely too much thought into the cover models but for some reason I couldn't stop comparing the Cameron Wilder on the cover and the Cameron Wilder in the story. Just putting that out into the universe, ha!

Instant Attraction was sexy, funny, and an overall fun read! The H/h were so believeable in their quicky ways they played off each other. Cameron poked, Katie poked right back. I loved that this story was full of overcoming things life throws at you and making the most of each day. This story was solid and a perfect start to the Wilder Series.

Jill Shalvis is my new go to author, as you all can see I am on a roll with her books and I just started reading her books in the middle of the summer. She has yet to fail me and I would be blown over if she ever does. She just might be queen of Contemporary Romance for me right now!

My Rating:

Stay tune, the other two books in the Wilder Series are coming to CBS for a review!

Until next time...Happy Reading!

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas 

by: James Patterson

Paperback, 304 pages

Published July 1st, 2003 by Warner Vision

Katie Wilkinson has found the perfect man at last—but one day he disappears from her life, leaving behind only a diary for her to read.

The diary is written by a woman named Suzanne and is addressed to her new baby boy, Nicholas. In it she pours out her heart about the joy he has brought her. As Katie reads this moving story, she realizes that the man she's fallen in love with is Suzanne's husband, Nicholas's father. She reads on, filled with terror and hope as she struggles to understand what happened—and whether her new love can survive.

Written with Patterson's perfect pitch for emotion and suspense, this novel captures beautifully the joys of a new family. This is an unforgettable story, at once heartbreaking and full of hope.

First  Line: "Katie Wilkinson sat in warm bathwater in the weird but wonderful old –fashioned porcelain tub in her New York apartment."

Favorite Line: “We is always better than I” page 110

My Review:

Boy does James Patterson have a way with words. Mystery/Thriller or dramatic/romance, James Patterson can keep you tied to any story. Katie comes to you as a jilted lover, whose boyfriend just ups and leaves without explanation. You feel for her loss. Matthew is the guy who you first hate, and then as the story unfolds wish every man was just like him. Then the diary comes in, a character all in itself. It is filled with so many emotions, that sometimes you just don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

I finished this book cover to cover in a day. It grabbed me full force three pages in and my heart was filled with every kind of emotion.  James Patterson had a way with picking you up and throwing in the midst of all the tender moments, the unthinkable moments, and even the moments you wish were yours. There are those stories you will just never forget and this for me is one of those stories!

My Rating:

Until next time... Happy Reading!

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard {Review}

The Lying Game

by Sara Shepard

Hardcover, 307 pages
Published December 7th, 2010 by HarperTeen

I had a life anyone would kill for.

Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move? 

First Line: 
"I woke up in a dingy claw-foot bathtub in an unfamiliar pink-tiled bathroom"

My Review: 
I am going to start out by saying that this is one of the best young adult books that I have read in a long time. Sara Shepard really knows how to keep you intrigued, so you keep on reading. The Lying Game had just enough suspense to keep you coming back for more.

As the book opens you find out that Sutton Mercer is dead, and her long lost twin sister is forced to take her place. Sara Shepard did great in forming the personalities of these twins. Sutton is your privileged teen, who gets whatever she wants. Emma is the twin who has to work hard for the things she has earned. Plucking Emma out of her nothing but hard life and sending her into a world she knows nothing about is quite humorous and cringe worthy at the same time.  Sara Shepard gave many twists and turns to keep you guessing. Even if you had an answer and you thought you were correct, Shepard would slide in some more information to keep you second guessing yourself. 

I love mystery books in a series, because of how they end. It is like having a cliff hanger at the end of a season finale. Luckily for me I just have to go pick up the next book in order to keep going. 

My Rating:

Until next time... Happy Reading!

Smart and Sexy by Jill Shalvis { Review}

Smart and Sexy

(Sky High Air #1)
by Jill Shalvis

Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages
Published April 1st 2007 by Brava

Noah Fisher has worked for months to make Sky High the most prestigious charter airline in California. He's long overdue for a break - something involving ski slopes, cold beers, and hot ski bunny babes, not necessarily in that order. The itinerary doesn't include being hijacked by Bailey Sinclair, gorgeous widow of one of Sky High's wealthiest (ex-) clients. But here they are, and being crammed in a cockpit with the scared, stubborn, unbelievably sexy former model he's been fantasizing about invokes Superman tendencies that could get Noah in serious trouble. Bailey is desperate to find the stash of money hidden by her conniving, thieving late husband - before the bad guys he owed find her. It's a long shot, but nothing compared to the gamble she's taking by being so close to Noah. Every minute in his company has Bailey thinking about doing crazy, reckless things like touching, grabbing, kissing...and oh wow, being kissed right back. Suddenly, seat-of-your-pants seems like the only way to fly, and maybe it's the altitude playing tricks, but this is one trip she never wants to end...

First Line: Noah Fisher needed a double diamond ski slope, a hot ski bunny babe, and a beer, and not necessarily in that order.

Favorite Line: “Hey,” Shayne said through the door. “You going to stay in there all night, because we’re getting tired of trying to eavesdrop from out here. Can’t hear a damn thing.”

My Review: Okay we have already discussed that Jill Shalvis is one of my new ( to me) favorite authors!
Smart and Sexy is the first in a trilogy about three men who own and run a private airplane business. This book was good and this just might be the first book/series I have ever read where the main hero is a pilot. It worked for me, I get it, pilots = sexy! Smart and Sexy is one of Shalvis’ earlier books and it is more on the suspense side of things, but don't fear she still works the sexy into it perfectly.
All Shalvis' books have witty storylines and entertaining fun characters. I adore the way Shalvis writes and I am both happy to have started reading her books and bummed it took me this long to find her.

It was nice to read one of Shalvis older pieces and to see how she writes suspense, it worked for me!

My Rating:

Have you read Smart and Sexy? Would love to hear your thoughts? If you haven't read it, will you now?

Until next time...Happy Reading!

One Day by David Nicholls {Review}

One Day

by David Nicholls

ebook 

Published August 28th, 2009 by Hodder and Stoughton, Ltd. 

Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? Twenty years, two people, 

ONE DAY.

First Line: "I suppose the important thing is to make some sort of difference, she said"

Favorite Line: "This is where it all begins. Everything starts here, today."

My Review:

I have to be brutally honest to start. I ALMOST gave up on this book. It was a little slow at the beginning 

and didn’t capture me right away. I didn’t admit defeat and happy that I stuck with it.

David Nicholls bases each chapter on the same day and progesses it yearly. Emma is the straight and narrow type of character with big dreams to change the world. Dexter is your party, live life to the fulllest kind of character. They seem like an odd pairing, but become the best of friends.  I loved the ups and downs of this relationship, and Nicholls does a good job in making me feel like this could be a real life friendship. I do wish that this book got to the point at times. I did find myself in shock at the end, which is why am so glad I pushed through and finished it. 

Until next time... Happy Reading!

Escape by Barbara Delinsky {Review}

Escape

By Barbara Delisnsky

ebook, 368 pages

Published July 12, 2011 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

One day, 32-year-old Emily Aulenbach leaves her New York law office early, drives home, packs her things, and drives nonstop to a seaport town in New Hampshire. On the surface, her spontaneous exit seems to have no single cause. She loves Manhattan, adores her husband James, and knows that most lawyers would beg for her job at the prestigious firm. None of those lures, however, suffice for the almost indefinable something that pulls Emily back to the place where she once broke her heart and ruined her friendship with her closest friend. A soul-tugging romance by a proven master of the craft.

My Review:

This is my fifth Barbara Delinsky book  and I love that every story is different. Again I got lost in the story and fell in love with all the characters. Emily Aulenbach is as stressed as they come living in a fast paced city and not knowing what she really wants out of life.  She does what we all think about and actually “escapes” her life. You may think that this character is being selfish, but as you read you get a sense of the growth this “escape” gives her.

This book has a lot of lovely characters that you can’t help but love. The little town she escapes to is quaint and you could only hope to visit it one day. Delinsky hit another one out of the park in my book, and look forward to reading her again soon!

My Rating :

Until next time... Happy Reading!

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris {Review}

Dead Reckoning

(Sookie Stackhouse #11)
by Charlaine Harris

Hardcover, 325 pages
Published May 3rd 2011 by Ace

With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...

First Line: The attic had been kept locked until the day after my grandmother died.

My Review: Fact: I'm barely haning on here. I use to adore this series, couldn't wait for a new book to come out and when one did I wasn't able to put "said" book down. Now I am finding Sookie's adventures repetitive, dry and lacking. Even typing that last sentence fills me with greif.

My biggest pet peeve is that there were all these words but nothing really happened, no development.

I would like to think that Charlaine Harris is using the events in Dead Reckoning to give us a wonderful new installment into the series that will leave us unable to put the book down and rekindle our love for Sookie and the other characters in this series. When the next book comes out I will 100% be picking it up to read, maybe with a little bit more reserve than the others in the past.

Do I feel this wasy over this series because I watch True Blood on Hbo and have become acustomed to big over the top action? Maybe?!? But I once had such deep feelings for Sookie way before True Blood aired. Can Charlaine Harris make a come back, I hope so but my feelings off Dead Reckoning lead me to believe it's time to put the Sookie Stackhouse series to bed.

My Rating

Before I close on this entry I would like it to be known that I take nothing away from Charlaine as an author. She is amazing and her talent is few and far between. She has written many books and if I am just now coming across one I don't love ( and I am only one lone reader) I would say she has a good track record!

Until next time...

Happy Reading!