What I Read Last Week

Posted December 12, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 8 Comments

Well it’s a rainy Monday here in So. Cal and I’m home with a sick child.  She’s just a lump on the couch the poor thing (my youngest). So far I’ve gotten some much needed reviews written – thank heavens!

This past Saturday I was lucky enough to be able to attend a So Cal Blogger/Author gathering.  We met at Renee’s house for a potluck and it was Renee, KB Alan, Nico Rosso, Zoe Archer, Vivienne Westlake and me.  It was a small group but we had a great time talking and of course having our book swap.  It was a good time.

So on to what I read – it will be brief as the queen bee on the couch over there is calling for attention. 🙂

I started off the week with Any Given Christmas by Candis Terry.  This was a cute contemporary about a professional football player coming to terms with the possibility that he’ll never play again after an injury.  You can read my review here. 3.5 out of 5

Next up was Bicycle Built for Two by Jeff Adams.  This was a cute m/m about two men who meet at a charity bike event.  They hit it off but they live in two different cities.  Besides the location of their romancing the book but just sweet.  There was really no angst and I liked that about the story. 3 out of 5

Next was a very short story called Hollow by AC Ruttan that is a bit of a take off on Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. It was ok but just really short.  2 out of 5

Mate Test by Amber Kell was my Tracy’s TBR Challenge read for the week.  It was a novella about a man who thinks he’s being sent to a planet to make a mineral deal but he’s really been signed up for the Consort contest for the King.  He’s blind of a sorts but he’s bonded to a dragon so the dragon helps him see.  The romance was more of an instant attraction and besides feeling the attraction and doing the contests there just wasn’t a lot of “romance” per se.  3 out of 5

Next up was Men Under the Mistletoe by Josh Lanyon, Ava March, KA Mitchell & Harper Fox.  This was a 4 novella anthology about men, their loves and all had a Christmas theme.  You can read my review here.  4 out of 5

After that was Lady Northam’s Wicked Surrender by Vivienne Westlake.  This was the story of a woman who fell in love and then when the man went off to war she was never contacted again.  She was convinced the man never loved her by his best friend and she ended up marrying the friend.  Now years later the husband has died and the love has come back to try to win her love.  They find they still love each other as well as finding some deceptions in their pasts from people they trusted.  It was great little story at only 55 pages.  3.75 out of 5

Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke is the second book in the Abandoned at the Altar series and it was a good one.  Two people who think they know what the other’s about but really they have no idea.  It was a good story and was well worth the read. 4 out of 5

Last for the week was Holiday Kisses by Jaci Burton, Shannon Stacey, HelenKay Dimon and Alison Kent,  another great anthology from Carina Press.  The stories are all sweet and again, all based around Christmas.  I posted this one on The Book Binge site so when it posts I’ll let you know. 4 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Lawe’s Justice by Lora Leigh
A Beginner’s Guide to Rakes by Suzanne Enoch
To Wed a Wild Lord by Sabrina Jeffries
Love, Come to Me by Lisa Kleypas

Happy Reading!


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8 responses to “What I Read Last Week

  1. Great reading week for you, I only read a couple of books but I need to get my ass in gear since I have to read nine books before the end of the year to finish my reading goal of 150 books. Wish me luck!

    Aww, I want to read the Candis Terry book. Must fix that soon!

  2. Rowena – It says I'm 17 books behind my 400 book goal. What the hell was I thinking? lol
    Did you read the first Terry book?

    Anna – It is, isn't it. 🙂

    Chris – Thanks!
    I agree with both of those opinions! lol

  3. I hated bailing on you guys Saturday – but OMG, you all should be so thankful that I did! This head cold I got is brutal. I was a complete and total waste of space until Tuesday morning. I'm still congested, but at least I have some energy back. I was my own lump on the couch for three straight days. Ugh, it sucked!

    And I really need to get my November monthly reading recap done. Maybe tomorrow…..

  4. Wendy – We were all sorry you couldn't make it. That head cold has been going around my house as well so I sympathize with you. I hope you're feeling better now.

  5. That's an awesome week, Tracy! I don't know how you do it sometime, LOL.

    I'm going to give a try to Any Given Christmas. I've been in the mood for novellas lately 🙂

    Glad you enjoyed the Laura Lee Guhrke! 🙂 I just love the H/H in that book! 🙂 I also really enjoyed the time period 🙂

    I've been eyeing the Carina Press Christmas anthology… I really like their cover and I'm in the mood for contemporary… I'll have to check out your review 🙂

    By the way, jealous that there was a SoCal blogger/author get-together 🙂 Hope you had fun! How's Renee?

  6. Nath – Sometimes I amaze myself when I go back and look at my spreadsheet! lol
    FYI – Any Given Christmas isn't a novella. It's not all that long but I'd say def. over 300 pages.
    I really like the time period in the Guhrke as well and can't wait to read the next book!
    The get together was really fun. Renee's great – just busy! 🙂

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