An open letter of thanks to those that write

Dear Authors,

I’d like to thank the men and women who put words into stories that take me away.  I’ve been transported to faraway lands, times, and realities.  You've taken time from your lives to help others learn and escape.  You write through personal tragedy, life altering changes, through illness and unemployment and still you produce.  Many of you have day jobs where like most of us the pressures and hats you are asked to wear increase almost daily.  Like the rest of us you have families and obligations yet you find the time to sit down and write.  You look at the paper (or computer screen) and create worlds, lives and realities.  I envy you that skill and dedication.  Through social media, blogs, and authors web pages I’ve learned a little of what it takes to do what you do and I am astounded at the amount of effort that is put into making your words available. Self-publication is a double edged sword.  It has made more books available but the screening process is harder.  Apparently not everybody has access to a good editor.  One of the upsides of self-pubbing is that some of my new favorite authors are putting their backlist out in eBook form.  I just want you to know that there are readers like me out there that appreciate every hour of sleep you give up to give us our bit of mystery, romance, escape or whatever.   Thank you for the hours and hours of enjoyment you bring to my life.  Please keep doing what you do so well and I will keep budgeting for more books.

Sincerely,

Donna Antonio

Last Kiss Goodnight (Otherworld Assassin #1) by Gena Showalter

A spin-off from Ms. Showalters Alien Huntress series. This series has a possibility of surpassing the original.  Like the original there is a lot of action and a romance with arresting characters.

 

In this book Black-ops agent (and alien) Solomon Jonah is caught in an explosion and wakes up in a cage in a bizarre circus where aliens are the animals/freak show.  His caretaker is the owner’s daughter Vika Lukas he knows she is the key to his escape but more importantly he recognizes her as his other half.  Vika has been abused by her father and fears him as he becomes increasingly evil and violent.  She vows never to become like him and even if she can’t free Solo and the others she does what she can to protect them.  She feels the connection between her and the new guy but she has to protect him and her heart.  Solo and Vika are conflicted by their feelings and circumstance.

 

Get ready to RUMBLE!  Solomon is one of the biggest and baddest of Ms. Showalters aliens to date.   Vika is light to his dark, sweetness to his sourpuss, and just as strong in her way.  What they go through is just amazing and appalling and frightening and wonderful.  

Get'n Hammered (BARCs #1) by Casey Holloway

WARNING MILD SPOILERS!

Fun romp with dog shifters.  Thomas Hammer is a dog shifter who is kicked out of his pack and spelled into his dog form for a crime he didn’t commit. He is rescued by Desiree Duvall, a human who just may be his mate.  He has to watch the woman he loves go on about her life treating him like a dog.  Unfortunately for Thomas Getting spelled into his dog form isn’t the end of it as friends and compatriots of the dead man want him to die as well. Hammer battles members of his old pack out for revenge and tries to protect Desiree from harm. He also discovers a secret organization of shifters who protect the outside world from discovering their existence. Hammer breaks the spell, but still has to win the girl and save the day. 

I totally dug the whole dog shifter thing and I like erotica as much as the next girl (maybe more) but we could have lost one or two of the sex scenes from this book that didn't advance the story in any way and it would have been in my humble opinion a much better book.  And why is it that the only human in it acted like a bitch in heat? As it was I am still looking forward to future installments.  

The Marine Cowboy (Always a Marine #7) by Heather Long

What’s hotter than a marine returned home to take up being a cowboy again?  Can’t think of much.

A.J. Turner has left the marines and gone home to Freewill, Wyoming.  All he wants is the quiet of his ranch and to train his horses.  And that’s what he was doing when he was reminded of his promise to his buds to sign up for Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand service.

Sheri moved to Freewill to start over.  She has signed on with Madame Eve to find a man the total opposite of her ex.  A man with honor and courage, a man like A.J. Turner.

When these two get together AJ remembers what he was fighting for and Sheri finds out that not all men are like her ex.  Can they turn their 1Night Stand into a future?

I LOVE this series of short smoking hot stories of men of courage and honor.  Heather Long doesn't disappoint in this installment and I look forward to future stories featuring Ms. Long’s marines.

Rescuing Christmas by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Catherine Mann, Kathie DeNosky

Three sweet Christmas tales loosely connected through a Humane Shelter and the love that rescues can bring to our lives. 

Holiday Haven by Vicki Lewis Thompson – Television cameraman Ben doesn't want the pain losing love can bring so he holds himself apart with only casual hookups.  Shelter director Tansy knows that love sometimes hurts but oh the joy of having had it.  Ben & Tansy meet when she is at the station asking for people to foster shelter animals over the holidays.  Can Tansy and crotchety cat Max show Ben that love is something everyone needs?

Home for Christmas by Catherine Mann – Being a military wife is tough.  With their marriage on the rocks Shelby hopes that when Alex comes home on holiday leave a trip to deliver some shelter dogs to their forever homes will give them time to talk.  Can their marriage be saved?

A Puppy for Will by Kathie DeNosky – Will is divorced and has thrown himself into his work.  When his Grandmother cons him into fostering Harley, a St. Bernard/Bernese Mountain dog puppy (think small pony), over the holidays Will isn't thrilled but then the puppy gives him something to do besides work.  Will’s new neighbor Marcie is determined to have a good Christmas this year.  Can she and Harley help Will realize that there is more to life than work?

I purchased this because I've enjoyed other stories by Vicki Lewis Thompson.  I enjoyed her story but my favorite in this book was Home for Christmas by Catherine Mann.  It may have to do with the fact that I am a former military wife and know just how very hard it is to make a military marriage work.  All three stories are worth the read.  This book also reminded me just how much our three rescue kitties bring to our lives.

Les Miserables - the movie

I spent Christmas day with friends and family like most but what I really wanted to do was go see Les Miserables the movie.  I was indulged and we went.  Hugh Jackman was incredible, Ann Hathaway intense and Eddie Redmayne made me cry as Marius with Empty Chairs and Empty Tables.  A fantastic movie.  The weak link for me was Russell Crowe as I am not a big fan of his.  He surprised me as he didn't suck as bad as I thought he would but I think they could have used one of the actors that have played Javert on Broadway or the East End and it might have been better.  Perhaps they wouldn't have had the big star name but they could sing.  Even so GO SEE THIS MOVIE.  I'll admit I am a fan of musical theater and so would be expected to enjoy it but my husband who would rather have his teeth pulled than go to a musical enjoyed this movie as well.  Must have been all the guns.

Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly

Light, fun, contemporary romance.  In Vegas for her cousins wedding Megan, who has just recently been dumped by her boyfriend of two years, is telling the other bridesmaids of her plans to have a child via sperm donor.  They are giving her so much grief about it she propositions the cute guy at the next table to get him to help her get away from them.  Twelve hours later she wakes up married to him.  It seems that after they left the bar they talked, had a lot of laughs together, drank a bit and got married.  Megan is thinking lawyer but Conner likes who he met the night before.  Megan is cute, sexy, and smart.  And neither of them believes in love.  He wants to settle down and so he wants the marriage to stick.

This is another check your brain at the door and just enjoy the ride type story.  Fun, predictable, and yet enjoyable read.