Do You Trust Me? by Desiree Holt

Desiree Holt does sexy, HOT stories.  This is one of the best that I’ve read by her.  Great mystery, drama, and flaming hot sex.  If you like your stories steamy Desiree Holt is always a great read.

Double Dare by Rhonda Nelson

Another contemporary romance.  Runaway bride realizes that she wants to marry for love not a corporate merger leaves the groom standing at the altar.  Wanting some time to figure out what she wants and needs also to avoid having to deal with her loving but controlling father, the bride Lou runs into Double Dare a company that provides adventures.  Double Dare’s slogan "Are you ready for the time of your life?” speaks to Lou and Sam the owner is hot!  Despite his better judgment Sam takes Lou on the adventure of her life. 

True brain candy.

Raven Cursed: A Jane Yellowrock Novel (Jane Yellowrock #4) by Faith Hunter

Faith Hunter does it again!  This is the best Jane yet.  I don’t know what else to say without spoilers so I’ll just say that Jane Yellowrock ROCKS!  You might be able to read this stand-alone but it will be so much better if you read the first three.  

Any Man of Mine (Chinooks Hockey Team #6) by Rachel Gibson

I got this book in with a bunch of other Avon romances.  I wasn’t aware that it was part of a series when I picked it up and truthfully it read like a stand-alone. 

This is a contemporary romance about second chances and growing up.  I don’t think I’ve read a more realistic male lead in a long time.  He is hot and knows it.  He is an ass sometimes and knows that too.  He doesn’t always know when or why he’s been an ass but in the end he figures most of it out.  I like that neither are perfect.  

A truly enjoyable read.

Dead Head (Dirty Business Mystery #3) by Rosemary Harris

This series just keeps getting better.  I read this in one sitting.  I couldn’t put it down.  Paula and cohorts are finally coming into their own skin.

Everybody has secrets and Caroline Sturgis’s are a little more interesting than most.  The suburban hockey mom is an escaped convict.  Whoda thunk?  Paula, Lucy, Babe and Mike O’Malley are out to figure out who leaked her new identity and why.

 A fun, mystery and I am running out to get Slugfest (Dirty Business Mystery #4)

Magic Gifts (Kate Daniels #5.4) by Ilona Andrews

A short free read to give us a bit of Kate & Curran to tide us over till Gunmetal Magic comes out.  I love this world.  Kate and Curran are a great couple.  The way they play off each other is terrific.  I can’t get enough of this series.

Spirit Bound (Sisters of the Heart #2) by Christine Feehan

I love Christine Feehan.  She writes action and romance and mixes in some psychic or paranormal and a good story.  

I was a little leery about this spin-off of the Drake sisters series when the heroine of Water Bound (Sisters of the Heart #1) turned out to be a high functioning autistic.  But Ms. Feehan handled it with grace and I looked forward to the next.  Spirit Bound  is Judith’s story.  When she and Stefan Prakenskii get together it is smoking.

  If you like Christine Feehan’s work as I do you will enjoy this book as well.

Christmas Redemption by Paty Jager

A short holiday time story that has nothing to do with Christmas except the time of year and the possibility for miracles. 

Van Donovan as an angry 15 year old is conned into playing lookout for a couple of bank robbers during which an innocent bystander is killed.  He is already in custody when that happens.  The judge sentences him to 10 years which is a little extreme even for those times.  Fast forward twelve years later.  Jail has taught Van the errors of his ways and how to make boots which he is very good at.  He returns to his home town to show his family that he is changed.  He intends to make a new start there.  He buys a building to set up his boot shop from the judge that sentenced him.  He finds the daughter of the man that was shot has fallen on hard times and is squatting in the building he just bought. 

I really enjoyed this story but was bothered by one thing.  We find out all the perceived grievances the Judge had against Van but we never find out just what his problem was with Tessa and her family.

Santa Baby by Alesia Holliday

I picked this up because I read The Warriors of Poseidon series that Alesia Holliday writes using her alter ego Alyssa Day. 

Santa Baby is a contemporary holiday romance complete with a scrooge type boss, a guardian angel in the form of a bestselling author and a sweet, handsome guy.  It was a cute quick feel good read.  The only problem I had with it was the title. 

Tyler (The Secret Life of Cowboys #1) by C.H. Admirand

The first in the series and I have pre-ordered the second.  Not an especially well written story but a fun cowboy romance none the less.
Tyler and his two brothers are trying to save the family ranch.  Towards that end he applies for a job in town at the Lucky Star bar.  He thinks the job is hauling kegs or something.  Turns out they want him to strip.  The money is too good to turn down.  Fun and romance follow.

Don’t underestimate the value of a good editor!

I took a break from reading the Dirty Business Mysteries by Rosemary Harris to catch up on some brain candy.  Short light hearted romances.  OMG! I won’t mention names but these books were from reputable big name publishing houses.  Part of the blame goes to the authors as they wrote it in the first place but isn’t the editor supposed to catch things like totally disjointed sentences and skipped sentences or even skipped paragraphs?  I couldn’t believe it.  I am tooling right along and out of nowhere the thought stops or shifts to a whole different conversation.  And this wasn’t just one book this happened in.  I guess if publishers are cutting back editors aren’t where they should be doing it.  

The Big Dirt Nap (Dirty Business Mystery #2) by Rosemary Harris

In this the second Dirty Business Mystery by Rosemary Harris we find our heroine Paula Holliday headed to the Catskills with her friend Lucy.  Lucy is working on a story and the Titans resort where they will be staying has a corpse flower getting ready to bloom.

A guy hits on Paula in the resort bar and shows up not much later dead.  Lucy goes missing. Paula and Babe along with a few helping hands are on the case.  What is it with Paula and cops? 

I really enjoyed this story and am starting the next book Dead Head as soon as I finish typing this.

Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris

Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris is the first “Dirty Business” mystery.  Paula Holliday is a former media executive who is starting her own gardening business in Springfield, CT.  When digging for a ph sample at an estate while doing a job for the historical society Paula finds the buried mummified remains of a baby. 

Paula is like a younger Jessica Fletcher.  Surrounded by an amusing cast of supporting characters I have great hopes for this series.

Valentine's Surrender by Ashley Blade

I don’t like to pan books as a rule.  I usually will put it aside and re-read at a later date just to make sure it wasn’t me or my circumstances. But there are so many things wrong with this one I don’t know where to begin.  The prolog sets up a character and a situation that creates certain expectations.  There are a lot of little things that just don’t sit right through the first couple of chapters and then it all just falls apart.  The writing is really choppy.  I don’t know if it was the novella length of the book that didn’t give the author enough time to develop the situations and characters or the lack of a good editor.  All I know is I was really disappointed with this story.  

Darkness Dawns (Immortal Guardians #1) & Night Reigns (Immortal Guardians #2) by Dianne Duvall

I first picked up Darkness Dawns  in August 2011 so it had been a bit between it and the second Immortal Guardians book so I decided to re-read before reading Night Reigns . 

Darkness Dawns (Immortal Guardians #1) was a fun first book.   One of the hardest things when starting a new series is world building.  But Ms. Duvall pulls it off pretty smoothly.  There is lots of action, adventure, mystery and of course a love interest.  There is a whole cast of hot (lonely?) men to be matched up in future books. 

Night Reigns (Immortal Guardians #2) continues the adventure and there are new mysteries to solve.   I like that we don’t lose touch with the couple from the first book.  We are introduced to new twists in the worldview we got from the first book.  I like that the characters interact like family.   I am looking forward to see where this series goes. 

If you like Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed series you should enjoy this.

Easy Pickings by C.E. Murphy and Faith Hunter

What do you call it when two authors go all fan girl on each other’s work and write a story together starring characters that don’t exist in each other’s world?  I call it the best kind of fan-fic. 

Take C.E. Murphy’s Joanne Walker and Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock pull them through a dimensional portal and have them work together to fight the bad guys.  The best of both worlds.  I loved it.  

Beyond the Darkness (Offspring #5) by Jaime Rush

 When reading a series like this you sometimes get attached to certain characters and anxiously await their chance at a HEA.  For me, for this series, those characters have been Petra and Cheveyo so I was thrilled when this book finally came out.  The author still didn’t make it easy on them.  Petra had to grow some and Cheveyo needed to become less self-sacrificing.  There are some nice twists and turns and I look forward to the next book.  Hey, Ms. Rush when does Pope get his HEA?

Move Me by Emma Holly

Another absolutely delightful, sexy and sweet story set in her Hidden Series. 

Belle returns to Kingaken because her Uncle has left her his house.  She hasn’t been back since her brother Danny disappeared.  While there she meets an incredibly sexy handyman and reunites with some old friends. 

This story has fabulous fairy sex, fairy luck and a holiday HEA.  I absolutely loved this. 

Cat Tales (Jane Yellowrock #4.5) by Faith Hunter

Four behind the scenes stories from the Jane Yellowrock series.  NOT to be read if you haven’t read the series to date.  It would be like trying to understand a movie by watching the deleted scenes clips.  Fun insights for those of us who follow the series.

The Perfect Wife by Lynsay Sands

I came across this re-issue and I couldn’t resist.  After all it was Lynsay Sands.  Before the Argeneaus Ms. Sands wrote historicals.  I think they are still her first love but because the Argeneaus are so successful that’s what she has been writing. 

The Perfect Wife is exactly why I feel this way.  It is well written and you can almost feel the love Ms. Sands has for these characters.  The bride and groom have been contracted since childhood.  He has been away fighting in the crusades and she has been learning how to be a good wife.  Avelyn is not willow thin and Paen likes her that way however he neglects to inform her.  Avelyn has been mercilessly teased about her weight and looks by her cousins and her self-esteem suffers for it.  

This is a sweet humorous romance with a bit of mystery thrown in for good measure and a prime example of why Lynsay Sands is on my auto-buy list.

Buckhorn Beginnings: Sawyer\Morgan (Buckhorn Brothers 1 & 2) by Lori Foster

I like being able to get books from an author’s backlist.  I came late to Lori Foster and hadn’t had a chance to read the Buckhorn Brothers books.  Now that I have I am looking forward to the next installments for Jordan, Gabe and Casey. 

This book contains the stories of the two oldest brothers Sawyer (a doctor) and Morgan (the sheriff) and their future brides the Malone sisters Honey and Misty.  Strong, moral men, damsels in distress add in Ms. Foster’s sense of humor and you have wonderful brain candy.  

What I read today

This Time Next Year by Alison Kent 

This is a sweet holiday romance.  It centers around two good souls (one troubled) that find each other and fall in love. 

A Taste of Midnight (Midnight Breed #9.5) by Lara Adrian 

As a fan of this series I had to grab this short novella to tide me over till the next installment.  It was way too short.  It was not bad but I wanted more.  

It's All Greek to Me by Katie MacAlister

I‘ve said it before and I’ll say it again Katie MacAlister makes me laugh.  This is a check your brain at the door fun romp.  It isn’t Ms. MacAlister’s best but it is a giggle worth reading.  I cannot get over some of her crazy dialog.  Too funny.

Fate's Edge (The Edge #3) by Ilona Andrews

In this the third installment of the Edge series by Ilona Andrews we are once again treated to the incredible world building this amazing author team put together.  Reality depends on where you are and how much magic you have.  If you don’t have any magic you live in “The Broken” and you are basically a Muggle.  If you have a lot of magic you live in “The Weird”.  Between “The Broken” and “The Weird” is “The Edge”.  This is where misfits from both sides exist.  Most folks from The Weird can’t cross into The Broken and vice-verse but then there are some who can.    In Fate's Edge we meet Audrey who lives in The Edge and works in The Broken.   One of her “gifts” is locks.  She has yet to meet one she can’t open.  Audrey comes from a family of grifters and is dragged into doing one last score for her father.  Kaldar used to live in The Edge and now lives and works in The Weird.  He has many talents but he is paid to use those talents for his government.  They have sent him to retrieve the item the Audrey has helped her father steal.

We meet up with characters from the previous two books but you could probably read as a stand-alone.  I don’t know why you would want to though as this is a terrific series and well worth the read.

Future Perfect by Suzanne Brockmann

Suzanne Brockmann is an author fairly new to my auto-buy list.  So when they re-released Future Perfect I picked it up.  Though not as good as some of the Troubleshooters Inc. or her other Navy Seal books, Future Perfect is still a delightful romance.  I love the irony of a severe dyslexic falling for an author.  

Explosive Eighteen (A Stephanie Plum novel) by Janet Evanovich

You either like the Stephanie Plum novels or you don’t.  I am among the former.  They are fun with terrific dialog.  In this book Stephanie returns from a trip to Hawaii paid for by her serial killer stalker from Smokin’ Seventeen. She is unknowingly passed a photograph on the return plane and now folks are coming out of the woodwork to get the photograph from her.  Stephanie is still torn between lovers Ranger and Morelli and surrounded by her usual compliment of lunatics.   Another fun adventure.

Within The Flames (Dirk & Steele 11) by Marjorie M. Liu

This is Eddie’s story.  We met Eddie in book one and he has been a supporting player in most of the others.  He is a polite and troubled young man.  He is pyrokenetic.  He has been a help to most of the supers in this series at one time or another and deserves a love of his own.  In this book he finds her.  Lyssa is a dragon shifter/witch hybrid with issues of her own.  When they get together it is combustible.