I’ve Been Reading!

Tags

#amreading, Dash of Peril, Escape to New Zealand, Finding Freedom, Jill Shalvis, Kaylea Cross, Lori Foster, Marked, Natalie Gayle, Rosalind James, Then Came You

Since Live For Me is finally finished and for sale everywhere (well, except itunes, but that’s pending), I have been reading quite a bit, catching up on the books I really wanted to read while I was trying to finish Haleigh and Caleb’s story.

First up was DASH OF PERIL by Lori Foster.  I love Lori Foster, and this book did not disappoint.  Dash and Margo are a helluva team, and Dash isn’t the laid-back, beta man she assumed him to be.  That’ll teach you to assume, Margo!

 

Next was THEN CAME YOU by Jill Shalvis.  Jill is an auto-buy, absolute favorite of mine (with her own shelf on my Kindle with, oh, 25 books on it), and I have to say this is one of the best she’s written.

Then I switched gears a tiny bit, with the third in Natalie Gayle’s Centre series, FINDING FREEDOM.  This is such a great take on operatives, sting operations and sci-fi that I am forever sucked in.  Oh, and hanging out on the Gold Coast of Australia doesn’t suck, either.  Start from the beginning of this series with FINDING TRUST.

Then there was the beginning of what I’m sure will be a fabulous new series from Kaylea Cross with MARKED.  Kaylea is up there with the absolute best Romantic Suspense writers, and this book proved once again she knows what she’s doing.

Finally, I think I could take a trip to New Zealand and get along just fine with the slang having read Rosalind James’ entire Escape to New Zealand series.  I’d just need to make sure I pack my togs and jandals, yeh?  I did play rugby in college (not kidding!) so I actually knew what was going on with the games, but you totally don’t need to know the game to fall in love with these books and their heroes.

So… since I have now spent a bunch of hours reading… it’s time to write! Back to BURN and the good people of Aylesford.

Wednesday WIP (and other stuff, too!)

Tags

All Summer Long, Double Down, Fool's Gold, Forever and a Day, Jill Shalvis, Katie Porter, Lucky Harbor, Susan Mallery, Wednesday WIP

 

Good news: I have been slightly less distracted with the Olympics and have been writing.

Bad news: What I thought was a reveal in the plot turned into a twist…  We’ll see how that works out for our lovely hero and heroine.

So, first the excerpt from Fight For Me you expect on Wednesdays

He held back a groan. Was he sure? “I wanted to toss you on the floor before we left, pin you to the wall at your parents house, have you ride me in the truck. I am not the one who has to be sure, Cassie. It’s you.”

“I.” She closed her mouth, her eyes tracking the lights in the ceiling, and he prayed the rest of the sentence was “want you.”

And now, something I haven’t done in a great while–I read a book!  I know, I know, the ticker-tape parade should be headed my way any minute now.  All kidding aside, I haven’t been reading the way I used to because of this pesky writing thing (and no, I’m not complaining, just stating facts).  I actually, believe it or not, was able to read three books in the past couple weeks (to the detriment of sleep, but who needs that, right?)

    

Oddly, they are all series books, and two are the third of trilogies within series (I know, I know my addiction is showing).  First, we have Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis.  Third in the Chocoholics trilogy within the Lucky Harbor Series, this book is my favorite of the three and quite possibly my favorite of the six.  It centers on doctor, father, and weight-of-the-world carrier, Josh Scott and dog walker/nanny/bookkeeper/not-sure-what-she’s-doing Grace Brooks.  Of course, as expected, there are strong supporting characters in both sets of best friends (and stars of the two previous trilogy books), Mallory and Ty and Amy and Matt, not to mention Josh’s son and sister and the rest of the delightfully nosy citizens of Lucky Harbor.  Josh is trying to hold down the fort and control his world, and Grace is, well, Grace is a necessary and wonderful rocking to his boat.  You know me–I am not a synopsis writer, and I don’t do spoilers, but suffice to say this is a book (and series) so worth reading.

Next we have Double Down by Katie Porter.  This is the first of a series revolving around Air Force fighter pilots, and as soon as I finished this book I pre-ordered the other two.  Major Ryan Haverty has a predilection for role-play and when he meets Cassandra Whitman she’s wearing seamed stockings with her waitress uniform.  A hot and heavy relationship ensues, and although Cassandra is all-in with the role-playing, Ryan feels like his wants and needs are dirty and wrong.  This is a hot book, and although I think the good Major is way too hard on himself, I very much enjoyed it.

Last we have All Summer Long by Susan Mallery.  Like Forever and a Day, this is the third in a trilogy within a series, this one wrapping up the three Stryker brothers with the wholly delectable Clay Stryker.  Former model and Hollywood butt double, he has come home to Fool’s Gold to be near his family and do something with his hands instead of standing around looking hot.  His heroine is Charlie, a firefighter struggling with feeling like an ugly duckling and issues with men.  Naturally, she asks Clay to help her and just as naturally, she doesn’t believe  he could be attracted to her because he’s so perfect.  I love Fool’s Gold, and enjoyed this story a little more than some of the others because (*spoiler alert*) there is no unplanned pregnancy!

Sooo…. Now, it’s back to my own fictional small town.  See ya Sunday!

I’ve Been Reading All Weekend!

Tags

Candace Havens, Darah Lace, Jill Shalvis, kindle, Nicola Marsh, reading, SPEEDING

Well…..  I haven’t written all that much this weekend.  Truth is, pre-order books arrived on my Kindle April 1st and I simply had to read them!

First, there was She Who Dares, Wins by Candace Havens.  This is the second in the Stonegate Agency series and was super fun.  I’m sorry I have to wait till May for the next one, Truth and Dare.  If you haven’t read the first one, Take Me if You Dare, you should.  The Stonegate Agency is a security agency with ties to the CIA and all that goes with it.  Like I said, super fun.

The second book I read was The Sweetest Thing, by Jill Shalvis.  Now, I will totally admit to being a Jill Shalvis fangirl.  I’m not even sure how many of her books I own.  This, too, is a second installment in a series.  This series, Lucky Harbor, is emotional as all get out.  Rarely am I moved to tears while I’m reading, but this one did that (also kept me up till nearly 3am!).  There’s so much here I can’t really begin to explain without throwing a spoiler in there, so let’s just say you should read it.  If you haven’t read the first one, Simply Irresistible, you should.  I am kinda bummed I have to wait till December for the next one!  Oh well, I’m sure I’ll love Head Over Heels when it arrives via pre-order too.

The next one (I know!) is by a facebook friend, Nicola Marsh.  She’s an Australian writer and her book, Sex, Gossip and Rock & Roll, was thoroughly Australian.  This was a story that did revolve around rock & roll… and sex and gossip.  Two very damaged souls find each other and fight it every step of the way.  If you haven’t read much by Australian and UK authors, I highly recommend it.  I will admit I looked up a couple words that are not typical American words, but that’s how we build vocabulary, isn’t it?

And…  I read a cute short, Wrong Number, Right Man by Darah Lace.  This one was sizzling hot, and cute as hell.  I love friends to lovers stories and this one didn’t disappoint.

So, other than reading this weekend, what did I do?  Oh, um, not much 😉  I *did* make chocolate chip pancakes and bacon for brunch this morning, and I have actually written some more of Speeding today as well as some of Skylar’s story.  For those of you who have been keeping up with my other stories, you may be surprised who shows up in Ashford and sweeps the delectable Sky off her feet.  Stay tuned 🙂