It’s Monday again. Why does this keep happening every stinking week? lol
Well, I’d love to say that my life is so exciting and I’d love to regale you with many a fun and funny anecdote but the truth is, nothing happened this past week of any import. Just a normal week in Tracyland. Maybe this week will be so exciting I’ll be bursting at the seams next Monday to share things with you. Let’s hope. lol
I read a lot of books for The Book Binge this week in a desperate attempt to catch up. I’m almost all the way through the books from May so I’m making headway! lol Only a few more to go and I’m all caught up – yay! 🙂
So what I read this week:
I started off the week with a new to me author, Marie Sexton, by reading Promises. This was an m/m story about Jared who had lived his whole life in a small town in Colorado except for his years in college. He is gay but pretty much resigned to living on his own for the rest of his days. Then Matt comes to work at the Coda police department and Jared and Matt become instant friends. Jared falls for Matt, but Matt’s not gay…or is he? This was such a damn good story. I liked it so much. I enjoyed the writing and could really feel the things that were happening between Matt and Jared. Good stuff and highly recommended. 4.5 out of 5
Next up was Impulsive by Cathryn Fox. The story of a woman whose lover is killed and she’s turned into a werewolf. 100 years later and she’s scented her dead lover – who’s been reincarnated into Kane…a werewolf hunter. Wow, what a couple. This was read for The Book Binge. 3 out of 5
Next up was Tracy’s TBR Challenge read as well as an FTSP read – Destined For An Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost. I bought this one the day it released and yet it’s sat on shelf til now. I think I was a little leery to start it as I wasn’t a huge fan of book 3. This one was a good read though with Cat running from a man who claimed to be her husband. It was a very emotional book between Cat and Bones and was hard to read at times but it was a good one. 4 out of 5
Next was Out of Bounds by TA Chase. This was the story of a professional basketball star who is gay – but he’s not out (except to his family) because he doesn’t wanted to take the chance that he might be removed from the team. Despite his qualms he begins a relationship with a nightclub owner. Kasey has real feelings for Gram but is hesitant to reveal his personal life to the press. The is a novella and I almost wish it had been a longer book. I felt kind of let down that what Kasey worried about the whole book was almost minimized because the book ended so soon after things happened. Beside that it was good. There was more sex than story imho but the sex was definitely steamy. 3 out of 5
Next up was Line of Fire by Jo Davis. This is book 4 in the Firefighters of Station 5 series – Tommy’s story. He’s pretty much in love with nurse, Shea Ford. She is afraid to get close to him because she’s afraid he is similar to a man in her past. She finally breaks through her misgivings and they fall in love. I really liked Tommy and Shea and they were so cute together – but almost too cute at times but it worked. The suspense part of the story was a little much but a pretty good story. Another Book Binge read. 3.5 out of 5
My next read was a short by Julie Kenner called Wrapped and Ready. I’m not sure what prompted me to pull out a Christmas short in May but I did. The story of Annie who’s had a thing for Brent most of her life – but they come from different lifestyles and she doesn’t think that Brent knows she exists. Oh, Brent knows and when Annie proposes that she get Brent as a Christmas present he’s definitely game. Cute. 3 out of 5
Bonded Souls by Nina Pierce was next. This is a prequel in her Shifting Bonds series. This tells the story of Jayda and how she met Cole (a wolf shifter) and became his mate. She is part of a prophecy and until she went on vacation to get some peace and quiet didn’t even know she was a shifter. Not only a shifter, by a polymorphic shifter – part wolf, part cougar, part human. A Book Binge read. 3.75 out of 5
Next I picked up Sucker for Love by Kimberly Raye for part of my FTSP. This is book 5 in the series and I got about 1/2 way through the book and realized I just didn’t care. I didn’t care about Lil, her family, Lil’s missing friend. Sorry to say the series has run it’s course for me. DNF
Another book I started and just couldn’t get into was Once a Bride by Shari Anton. I don’t have a clue where I got the book but it’s been on my shelf for a while. The story was about a man who accused of treason so goes into hiding and leaves his daughter (age 17) to face his accusers at their home. The man the king has sent to oversee the property while the matter is dealt with knows that he should have nothing to do with the daughter – and she’s pissed off at him for taking over the property – but that doesn’t stop their attraction. Again, I got about halfway through the book and nothing was clicking with me. DNF
Last but not least was another Tracy’s TBR Challenge read. This was The Runaway Princess by Christina Dodd. Though I read all of Dodd’s Darkness Chosen series I wasn’t thrilled with it. I definitely liked this historical book better. It was pretty simple – an easy read with some silly parts but very cute. The story of a prince who finds his runaway princess – only she’s not the princess – just someone who looks like her. No matter her protestations that she’s an orphan from England and her guardian was the one who taught her about their respective countries, he thinks she’s fabricating it all to get out of marrying him and won’t believe her. So was she the princess or not? As I said – pretty cute. 3.75 out of 5
Some of my Book Binge reviews that have posted:
Happy Reading!
Everyone's reading Promises this week. 🙂 I really enjoyed it as well. TA's book was a nice light read, nothing too heavy which sometimes works when you are in the mood. Hopefully something really exciting will happen for you this week, but in a good way. 🙂
I really enjoyed Promises, too!
Ah, yes – the realization that everyone in the book could die on the next page and I might feel a sense of relief… or I might not care at all is one of the marks of a DNF for me. 🙂
Tam – Out of Bounds was good but yeah, I wished that we would have seen more on the other side of the reveal than we did.
LOL Thanks! I hope something exciting happens as well – I could use some fun. 🙂
Chris – LOL I love your description of a DNF. That was about how I was feeling during the Raye book, sad to say. I liked the others in the series but this one, not so much.
That's also usually a sign that the series should've ended a book or two earlier!
Well, I've been waffling on Promises for a while now, but now I think I'm gonna have to go for it!
Yep! Writing Promises down on the tbr list.
Out of Bounds was good. I've been meaning to read the second Love of Sports book, High Line. It's been sitting on my reader for too long!
Have a great week, Tracy! 🙂
Tracy, you seemed to have had one of those weeks. 🙁 The Marie Sexton book sounds really great though–I will definitely look it up!
Chris – Absolutely! Although I really liked Raye's series until this last one.
KC – It seems everyone is liking Promises. In know I did. Get it!
Renee – I think you'll like Promises.
I've got High Line as well so I'll get to it eventually. 🙂
Hilcia – Yeah, there was definitely good and bad this past week. At least I started and ended on a high note. lol
Oh, I do like the sound of Promises. Another on the TBR list *grin*
LOL, perhaps it was quiet in Tracyland, but you sure did read a lot 😀