Day: October 18, 2010

What I Read Last Week

Posted October 18, 2010 by Tracy in Features | 10 Comments

Happy Monday!
Although it’s quite gloomy here right now we’re all still happy, right?  Right?  Ok, I know, I’m not believing it either! lol
So let’s see, what happened this week?  Not a lot.  My oldest daughter’s 1st quarter ended.  From the time of her progress report she actually brought 2 of her grades up, thank the good Lord, but one dropped.  How the hell do you get a D in Industrial Crafts?  lol  She never had any homework, since it was a stained glass class, so she had no work that she couldn’t turn in. haha!  Oh well.  At least she didn’t get an F! (yes, I’m thankful for small favors)
I also “helped” (aka doing most of the work) my oldest clean her room out.  Her closet has shelving on the left side of it and her idea of cleaning her room is making sure the floor is clear which in turn means stuffing all the shit on the shelves in her closet. She really is a horrible pack rat and I’m hoping that she breaks that habit before she gets too much older…our house just isn’t big enough! lol  Anyway, we filled an entire waste barrel full of crap/trash that she didn’t need anymore and made a huge donation to the recycle bin as well. We gathered about 8 plastic grocery bags of books that she had outgrown and/or had read a million times and didn’t want to read anymore.  Those will go to an organization in town called Project Share the Grace that takes the books to the various food pantries around town and they give the books to the underprivileged children who don’t have many books.  All in all it was pretty productive.  I, however, feel like I’ve run a marathon from all the bending, up and downs on the step stool and so on.  I’ve decided cleaning is for the young. lol
 

First up was Mad About The Duke by Elizabeth Boyle.  My first read by this author and I really liked the book.  It was sweet and fun and romantic and I very much enjoyed the book…did I already say that?  Well I did!  A widow is looking for a new husband and “hires” a solicitor to help – only the solicitor is really a Duke.  They fall in love practically at first sight but she needs to marry a Duke in order to save her sister from their step-father so she can’t let herself act on her feelings and he’s in severe denial about love.  Just a good book. 4.25 out of 5
Next was a book for The Book Binge called Taming the Wolf by Lydia Dare.  I read the first 3 books in this series about the Westfield Brothers.  This story veers off to other characters now and the hero in this book was a feral werewolf in the previous book.  I didn’t like Dash all that much in the last book but in his own story I liked him much better and the book was quite good. 4 out of 5
My next read was another book for The Book Binge called The Small Print by Barbara Elsborg.  A paranormal romance about a vampire, a were-vamp and their mate who they’re not sure is dead or alive since they, and other paranormal being are the only ones that can see her.  Fun book.  You can read my review here if you’re interested. 4.5 out of 5
My Tracy’s TBR Challenge read for the week was I’m In No Mood For Love by Rachel Gibson.  The story had Clare finding her fiance getting ridden like a bronco by the Sears repairman in her closet when she comes home unexpectedly.  She decides to drink her sorrows away and ends up the next morning in a hotel room with her childhood “frienenemy”, Sebastian.  They have a strange relationship but end up in a sex only relationship. Only Clare finds herself falling in love with Sebastian and that’s not something he wants any part of.  The book was pretty simple and predictable but I have to say that I really liked it.  It was cute and funny and just a light entertaining read. 4 out of 5
My next read was Ten Ways To Be Adored When Landing A Lord by Sarah MacLean.  I’ll be reviewing this one on Wednesday so check back. šŸ™‚  I know, I’m such a tease. lol
Last on the list was Sin Undone by Larissa Ione.  This is the fifth and final book in the Demonica series.  Sin is a Seminus demon – the only female Seminus demon that exists as far as anyone knows.  She’s sister to the Sem brothers that run Underground General (UG).  Sin is also an assassin and due to events in the previous book she is now the Master assassin.  She has also started an epidemic that is killing off Warg’s (werewolves).  She hangs with Con, a half-vamp, half-were to try and find a way to cure the Warg’s but he’s got ulterior motives.  That doesn’t stop the two from falling for each other though.  This was a really good story.  I liked Sin a lot despite the fact that she was the most unlikely heroine for a book.  I loved seeing all of the Sem brothers again and hearing about their mates and offspring as well.  A good wrap up to the series. 4.25 out of 5
My Book Binge reviews that posted this past week:
Happy Reading!


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Excerpt: Lie with Me by Stephanie Tyler

Posted October 18, 2010 by Casee in Promotions | 1 Comment

Suddenly Cam was opening the driver’s-side door, telling her, “Move over. I’ll take it from here.”

Sky was all too grateful and ready to give up the driver’s seat. As she scrambled over the console in between the seats, Cam shoved his way in, shut the door and began to maneuver the vehicle onto the right side of the road.

He was going back the way they came.

She was going to hyperventilate.

They didn’t stop, drove until dawn along back roads, where a car riddled with bullet holes wouldn’t call attention to itself.

Finally, she spoke, staring straight ahead, her words coming out softly. “We could’ve avoided him. Just kept driving. He wouldn’t have caught up to us.”

“Maybe not him, but someone else would’ve.”

She was shaking–fear and anger and cold all balled up inside until an unwelcome sob racked her body, escaped despite her clenched teeth. “You made me kill him.”

Cam eased the car onto a service road, slowed down enough to turn his head and tell her, “I killed him. Me. I held the wheel, put my foot on the gas. You had no choice in the matter. Remember that.”

“Let me out of the damned car.”

His refusal was silent, save for the grinding of the gears as he pushed the truck faster.

Soon the car was moving along the snowy road at a sickeningly fast pace, given the snow. The truck simmied, and that, combined with everything else, made her want to throw up. And then run. Maybe not in that order.

She leaned forward, dizzy.

“Put your head between your knees,” he ordered, reached his hand around and pushed on the back of her neck until she did so, “Now, breathe.”

She did, until she got her equilibruim back. For a few seconds, Cam’s strong fingers were gently rubbing the tender skin–he’d suckled back there the other night and she’d been amazed at how sensitive the flesh was.

Suddenly, as if he’d realized what he was doing, he stopped. Slowly, she sat up and then took the water bottle he offered.

And then he was talking, more to himself than to her, she thought. “How the hell did they find us? I checked this car for tracking devices.”

She fumbled for her phone. “I’m calling the CIA, telling them what’s happening, who I am.”

He put a hand over hers, “No, you’re not.”

“Then you’ll call. My father has to be in big trouble–hurt, unable to get to me. He’d never let things go this far otherwise. We need help, Cam.

Cam didn’t answer her, continued to drive along the service road, and for the next half an hour there was total silence between them.

She continued to check the side mirrors to make sure no one was following them, fully aware that she knew Cam was doing the same.

And then suddenly, he began to speak, and her world turned upside down.

“I don’t know who those men are, or why they want you. I only know that three nights ago, your father sent men to try to kill me, and I came looking for you in order to ensure that never happened again.”

excerpt from unedited eGalley

Check out Stephanie’s guest post for a chance to win a copy of Lie with Me!


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Guest Author: Stephanie Tyler – What You Do For Money Honey

Posted October 18, 2010 by Casee in Giveaways, Promotions | 44 Comments

The fabulous Stephanie Tyler is here blogging with us today. Her upcoming release Lie with Me is out next week. Promises in the Dark follows in November. Today you will get a chance to get to know Stephanie and win a copy of Lie with Me!

Thanks to Casee and the wonderful ladies here at Book Binge for inviting me to guest blog!

Okay, so Iā€™m a writer and I love my job because, hi, I get to stay home and work in pajamas and make shit up for a living and I get to help my characters live out their dreams. And sometimes itā€™s so much fun and other times itā€™s really hard, and the business end is really scary at times. Itā€™s all a total crapshoot and for control freaks, itā€™s not an easy business. But I canā€™t not write, and so, there you have it, a career was born.

But are there other things Iā€™d like to do, like if that proverbial genie came down to grant me a new career wish? Maybeā€¦.

I love music ā€“ itā€™s an obsession of mine. If you go to my website, youā€™ll see that I create soundtracks for each book I write ā€“ itā€™s usually the first thing I do before I start to write. And I listen to music while I write because it keeps me in the mood of that book.

So when I caught a rerun of Cold Case, I immediately loved the concept because Iā€™m a big believer in backstory and past as prelude and the like. And the music they use from the time of the murder theyā€™re investigating? Love it. They pick songs that are perfect for the scenes, the characters, the crimes. And so thatā€™s something I would love to do ā€“ pick out the music for the Cold Case episodes. Except, of course, itā€™s off the air and they obviously donā€™t need to fill that job. So, Iā€™m a little late.

But Iā€™d stay with the music theme for my career wish and Iā€™d probably choose rock star. I canā€™t sing or play and instrument worth a damn and am pretty sure Iā€™d have stage fright but if the genieā€™s offering, thatā€™s what Iā€™d like to be. How much fun would that be? Because, Iā€™m assuming the genie would give me, like, the ability to sing.

So, what about you? What would you be, if you could be anything?

We have three copies of Lie to Me to giveaway. All you have to do is answer Steph’s question! Contest ends 10/25 @11:59pm.


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Review: Lie with Me by Stephanie Tyler

Posted October 18, 2010 by Casee in Reviews | 2 Comments

Genres: Romantic Suspense


Casee‘s review of Lie with Me by Stephanie Tyler.

Framed for a double murder, Delta Force operative Cameron Moore is given a new lease on life by the CIAā€”provided he pays them back by doing their black ops dirty work. Now Cam is ready to renegotiate their deal, and he thinks heā€™s found the perfect bargaining chip: Skylar Slavin, bestselling author of espionage thrillers and the daughter of the CIA man who saved him from a prison sentence.

Skylar has been living in anonymity, never suspecting that someone so dangerousā€”and so desirableā€”would plunge her into a world as treacherous as one of her spy novels. But how can Cam go through with his plan to kidnap Skylar when just the sight of her sets off an explosive attraction heā€™s never experienced before? And when Skylar falls prey to an even more perilous threat, this special ops soldier must call upon all his combat skills to protect the one person who can help him win his freedomā€”and the only woman heā€™s ever loved.


Jake first came in Hard
When Nick came he was always on guard
Chris seemed to always be delivering a baby
Then Cam came along to seduce and kill some lady
Yet somehow they didnā€™t all end up in the graveyard

This is my way of saying that I didn’t really like Jake. Nick was really closed off, but not in a bad way. Babies always wanted to come out when Chris was around, which was really a crack up. Cam’s initial idea was to find Skylar seduce her for information and then kill her if necessary (but we’ll get to that later). Why the exercise? As I was considering my review, I was thinking back on Steph’s heroes and I realized that each one was better than the last. Cam’s the best hero yet. And that’s that.

This series really revolves around undercover work. ATF, CIA, and all the other three letter abbreviations you can think of. Cam was the son of an ATF agent that had gone deep undercover. So deep that it seemed he was never getting out. When the bust finally came, Cam’s dad told him to run. Cam ran. Then he was arrested for the murder of two FBI Agents. Cam was in jail for two years before he was pulled out and offered a deal he couldn’t pass up. Gabriel Creighton put him in Delta Force, but that was a cover for the jobs that Gabriel had Cam do on the side. Every few years, Gabriel would let Cam go but he would always come back for him.

Cam finally has something on Gabriel. A daughter to hold over his head. With the help of a friend (Cam is still surprised he even has a friend), he goes after Skylar Slavin with the intention of seducing information out of her. Namely the whereabouts of her father. Skylar is nothing like what he expects. (Are they ever?) He plays it off like Gabriel sends him, which she buys. He immediately finds out that she has had a recent kidney transplant. It also becomes apparent that she has no idea where her father is. That puts him in a strange position. Does he stay or does he go? That question is answered when a couple of men arrive to take Skylar.

Skylar doesn’t know what to think or who to trust though she instinctively trusts Cam. Skylar knows that her father works for the CIA and has lived with it all her life. The one time that her father came out of the shadows was to give her the gift of his kidney. After a brief recovery, he left and she hasn’t seen him since.

Insert major terrorist organization and a secondary romance and this is an action packed book. Not too packed though. The pace was good. Not too fast, not too slow. Cam’s struggle between getting revenge on the man that used him as a weapon and helping the man that was not just the father of the woman he loves, but that man that also saved her life was apparent. Crystal clear even. In the end, love wins out, as it always does.

4 out of 5.

This book is available from Dell. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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Last Hero Standing: Round 3.

Posted October 18, 2010 by Rowena in Features | 3 Comments


Another week down, another batch of heroes saying good bye to the voting polls. As you can see by the poll (that’s already been posted on the sidebar) there are only three heroes left. This week, you’ll be voting for:

Luc Martineau from See Jane Score
John Kowalsky from Simply Irresistible
Rob Sutter from The Truth about Valentine’s Day

So it is with a bunch of sadness that we say good bye to some of my favorites:

Mark Bressler from Nothing but Trouble
Sebastian Vaughan from I’m in No Mood for Love
Ty Savage from True Love and Other Disasters
Zach Zimaitis from Not Another Bad Date
Jackson Lamont Parrish from Daisy’s Back in Town
Mick Hennessy from Tangled Up in You

The rules this week are simple: Vote. We’ll be knocking one hero off the chopping block next week and then we’ll be down to the final two. We’re getting closer and closer to the crowning of this month’s Last Hero Standing so for the love of all that’s good….VOTE! Get your friends to vote, your family to vote, make it a voting party. The more the merrier!

Happy voting!


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