Tag: K.Z. Snow

What I Read Last Week

Posted May 15, 2012 by Tracy in Features | 6 Comments

Hello my friends!

Well I”m a bit behind in getting this post up this week. On Mother’s Day (hope you all had a wonderful day) my kitty decided to follow her ball under the couch. Yeah, she doesn’t exactly fit under the couch. She made some distressing sounds so I lifted the couch thinking she would run out. Silly me. She didn’t run out right away and I ended up spraining my back (yes, again) because I didn’t want to drop the couch and get splat kitty. Luckily my hubby came to save the day. 🙂 On top of heading to the doctor yesterday and getting many, many lovely drugs to help me my youngest ended up diagnosed with strep throat. Poor thing is just miserable. She stayed home with me yesterday and it’ll be the mom and daughter show again today as the doc didn’t want either one of us going out.

Remember I mentioned that my oldest was trying out for cheerleading? Well she didn’t make it. I felt so bad for her and she was pretty upset. Hopefully we can find another extra curricular activity for her next year.

Enough about pain and suffering let’s get to the good stuff…books!

I started off the week with Karma by Carly Phillips. This was third in the Serendipity series but the only one I read from that series. The story was about a cop who was very attracted to a woman whose brother was a constant in the city lockup. As much as he liked the woman he had a hard time getting around the way she enabled her alcoholic brother. Then they find out the hard way that the brother owes a loan shark money and she’s the “warning”. The couple also had another issue with her brother who killed a kid years earlier, that the cop witnessed and did nothing about – even when the brother got off scott free. This was a good book to start and I was really liking the characters and the story. Unfortunately it got a bit mired in angst and got a little tedious for me. It was still a good book but not great. 3.25 out of 5

Next was My Wicked Gladiators by Lauren Hawkeye. The story revolved around a woman, her husband and two gladiators that her husband “owned”. You can read my review here. 3.5 out of 5

Lothaire by Kresley Cole is a book that I’ve been meaning to read, as I’ve read the rest of the series, but for some reason it kept escaping my notice. I finally picked it up and wow, what a really good book. Lothaire believes that his vampire bride is a goddess whose spirit/soul is stuck in a hick from Appalachia. He’s determined to find a ring from another goddess that will make his real bride into a vampire and get rid of the hick’s soul. This was such a good book. I wasn’t sure what to expect because Lothaire’s no boy scout but Cole really did an amazing job making me like him despite his evilness. 4 out of 5

My next read was Thank My Lucky Scars by Tia Fielding. This is a very sweet story about Matt who gets into a bike messenger accident and is homebound. He gets onto twitter and ends up talking to his favorite porn star, Brian who he is a huge fan of. The porn star actually comes to see Matt when he goes to London on business and the men end up falling in love. This was a very sweet novella that I really liked. Something about the story really clicked with me because of their situation and how it all worked out. Good stuff. 4 out of 5

Don’t Judge a Book by Scarlet Blackwell is about Rhys who is a complete book worm and lives an incredibly quiet life with his books. He works at the library and is in charge of the men who need community service for a offense that they’ve committed. He’s SO not thrilled especially when he meets Darren who is adorable but is a car thief. Rhys has no patience with Darren but the men end up finding that they can’t ignore their attraction. This was another great story that I really liked. The men were such opposites but I totally saw their continued HEA when I finished the story. 4 out of 5

My Lady Rival by Ashley March was the story of a man and a woman who are rival’s in business. They have a stormy past with stolen kisses but mostly with the woman, Willa, stealing the investors that Alex was going after. They are now after the same recipe for an amazing dye that was used on a dress for the queen and doing what needs to be done to get it so it will make their companies number 1. I really liked this book. I didn’t want to put it down because it just had a certain charm and humor to it that I thought blended really well with the romance and intrigue. 4 out of 5

Last for the week was A Hole in God’s Pocket by KZ Snow. This told the story of Jaron who is Amish and gay. He is conflicted as to whether he should go back to his family now that he’s been gone a while. He ends up living with Greg who was at one point in his life studying to be a Trappist monk. The story revolved around the two men coming to terms with their sexuality, their roles in life when it comes to their faith and their attraction to each other. This was a really good story that was so interesting – I just loved it. It’s a pretty quiet story but really good. 4 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted this past week:
Midnight Rescue by Elle Kennedy

Happy Reading!

6 Comments

Tagged: Ashley March, Carly Phillips, K.Z. Snow, Kresley Cole, Lauren Hawkeye, Scarlet Blackwell, The Book Binge, Tia Fielding, What I Read Last Week, What I've Been Reading This Week

What I Read Last Week

Posted January 9, 2012 by Tracy in Features | 11 Comments

Greetings!

Well it was almost back to a full work week last week. I did have Monday off but then we had crazy things happening at work so it was really busy and really stressful. I was happy for the weekend where my youngest and I went to see Holly at her home. That was a ton of fun just talking books and stuff. We were there for 7 or 8 hours and it just didn’t seem like enough time! lol I have to say I was a giant tired lump yesterday doing…nothing but hanging with the fam, reading and watching movies. Nothing got done but hey – it’s not going anywhere right? All the stuff that needs to be done will still be there today when I get home today so I’ll work on it then. 🙂

On to what I read last week:

First up was Whispers in the Dark by Maya Banks. This is book 4 in the KGI series and it was about Nathan who has been captured in Afghanistan and is being tortured for information. He thinks he’s going crazy when he hears a female voice in his head and even starts talking to her. He’s not crazy. The woman is actually Shea Peterson and is a psychic who has been feeling Nathan’s pain. The story is about Shea helping Nathan and then Nathan helping Shea and their love story. It was a good story that I liked. I read this one for The Book Binge – here’s the link to the review. 4 out of 5

Next up was Caged by Tam Ames. This is a free story that Tam wrote because Wave said that hamster shifters couldn’t be done. Tam proved her wrong in a hilarious story about a hamster shifter and his owner. Very funny and well done. 4 out of 5

After that it was One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost. Book 6 in the Night Huntress series has Cat and Bones working to capture a ghost who is extremely violent and can become corporeal on Halloween night. They’re also dealing with an asshole who has decided to take over her uncle’s position at the security compound who thinks he knows everything but doesn’t – and we never really learn what’s up with him as that storyline wasn’t completed. I really liked Cat and Bones and the strength of their relationship in this book. That’s something we don’t often see in UF books but this one is as strong as ever. The story was good and the fight scenes as well, but there was just something missing in this one for me that made it a good story but not fantastic. I read this for the Book Binge so I’ll let you know when my review posts. 3.5 out of 5

My next read was Amazon Heat by Melinda Leigh and Rayna Vause. This was a novella about Elizabeth who is doing research in Brazil and is saved from certain death by a group of women who turn out to be the mythical Amazons. Two years later her love, Logan, is looking for her in the same area when he is hurt and taken to the Amazon’s as well. Elizabeth must save his life and then they must try to escape as the Amazon’s aren’t ready to keep a man around for any period of time – especially after he’s worn out his usefulness. It was an interesting story but frankly I thought it was just too short. We didn’t get enough of Elizabeth and Logan or their background so the romance was just ok for me. On top of that it’s a story about the Amazon’s and we get little to know info on them or their life – how they’ve survived all these years, what their life is like, etc. Now there was a portion that looked like it was set up for a second book so maybe we’ll get more then? IDK. 3 out of 5

Next was Oracle’s Moon by Thea Harrison. I was lucky enough to get this one for review from The Book Binge and frankly I just couldn’t wait to crack that puppy open. It was the story of Kahlil who is a Djinn that we met in the previous books and Grace who is the Oracle. The story was not like anything that I expected but it was wonderful. Really romance and relationship focused and I LOVED Kahlil so very much. If you’ve been reading the Elder Races books don’t miss this one! 4.5 out of 5

Abercrombie Zombie by KZ Snow was next and it was a good one. This story followed psychic mediums Quinn and Hunter who are business partners as they deal with a man who claims to be a zombie. On top of that Quinn, who is in love with straight (well, maybe straight) Hunter, is trying to work through his feelings. The story is great and done very well and Quinn and Hunter were fabulous together. I just love KZ’s stories and this one was no different. 4 out of 5

My Tracy’s TBR Challenge read for the week was Forbidden which is boo 1 in the Playing With Fire series by Karen Erickson. The story was about roommates Michaela and Austin. They have the hots for each other but Michaela believes that Austin is gay since he’s not dated any women since they’ve known each other. Turns out he’s bi and he wants Michaela and all of her fantasies. Michaela has been held back by her conservative lovers and goes a bit wild with Austin as she trusts him. They act out fantasies together both at home and at a sex club. The story was extremely hot in the sex department but I thought that the relationship suffered more than a bit for the sake of the sexual aspect. While I really liked Austin I didn’t particularly care for Michaela all that much because of her indecision and sometimes overpowering shame and that diminished my enjoyment of the entire book. 3.25 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:

Whispers in the Dark by Maya Banks

Happy Reading!

11 Comments

Tagged: Jeaniene Frost, K.Z. Snow, Karen Erickson, Maya Banks, Melinda Leigh, Rayna Vause, Tam Ames, The Book Binge, Thea Harrison

Review: The Zero Knot by KZ Snow

Posted November 9, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 5 Comments

Eighteen-year-old Jess Bonner is casting off pretense—and, with it, some friends from his past who aren’t particularly trustworthy. In just a few months he’ll be starting college, and it’s time for him to admit the truth: he’s gay, not bi, and only one of his childhood buddies holds any kind of real interest for him. When Dylan Finch, aka Mig, follows his lead and puts some distance between himself and the old crowd, he and Jess give in to a mutual attraction that’s been building for years.

But navigating a fledgling relationship isn’t easy for beginners, and forces they can’t seem to control keep tripping them up: sexual appetite, personal insecurities, fear of discovery, and more. They need clarity. They need courage. Just as they’re on the verge of finding both, a vindictive act of jealousy sends one of them to jail. All their hard-won victories are in danger of falling to dust. The only way to save what they have is to recognize it for what it is . . . and fight for its integrity.

Dylan aka Mig and Jesse have been close friends for years. They are in a four person “club” of people who are sexually ambiguous but frankly neither of them are quite comfortable in the group any longer and both want to leave it. But one of the other members of the group, Brandon, isn’t quite ready to let one of them go.

Both boys are gay and they finally come out to each other as such. No more of this bi stuff for either of them. They each have feelings for the other but because of a set up Mig thinks that maybe to save his feelings he needs to distance himself from Jesse. Jesse is quite hurt at the way that Mig tells him that they need to be apart and does some stuff he’s not real proud of. An incident at the hospital with Jess’s younger brother brings the two boys back together and gets them communicating finally! But will Brandon let them go so easily and without a desperate fight?

I love KZ’s books. I think I’m biased toward liking them before I even turn on the computer or ereader. Her characters are constantly coming alive on the page for me and the stories she writes always make me stop and think about life. This story was no different.

Jess and Mig were just 18 years old but they were so much more mature than you would think. Yes, sometimes they were just kids but really they were men on the cusp of really finding themselves and who they were meant to be. They had to come to terms with that and the fact that the other would have a huge part to play in that future life.

I have to say that I wasn’t sure I liked Mig all that much at first. I thought he was a bit wishy washy – though I could tell he was completely at odds to figure out where he was going with his life and how to handle his sexuality. The way that he told Jess that they needed to be apart really pissed me off and I was doubting for a time that I even wanted him with Jess. However I should have known that KZ would steer me in the right direction and show me that he was just hurt and since he was an 18 year old boy he wasn’t quite adept at communicating that well without hurting his friend.

Jess came from an awesome family. All guy men should come from a family like Jess’s – the world would just be better place. It certainly wasn’t a fairy tale but he came from an open-minded family and his family truly loved him – it didn’t matter if he was gay or not. sigh So wonderful.

This was a great book that showed the horrible side of what some people will do to get what they want as well as the fabulous side of people and how wonderful they can be. It was such a difference but both needed to be shown in this story to get the true feeling of the love that the boys had for each other. This is a story, in my opinion, not to be missed.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

KZ Snow
Dreamspinner Press

5 Comments

Tagged: Dreamspinner Press, K.Z. Snow, Review, Reviews, Tracy's Reviews

What I Read Last Week

Posted November 7, 2011 by Tracy in Features | 6 Comments

It’s Monday again! Woohoo! Or…boo! Whichever you prefer. lol

So it was an interesting week in Tracyland to say the least. The first part of the week was fine and then we got to Thursday. In the morning I did something I’ve been doing for 10 years with no trouble and that’s putting the 5 gallon water jug onto the cooler at work. I’ve never had an issue. Well Thursday I was having trouble getting the bottle positioned right so went to put the jug on the floor to get a better grip on it and apparently twisted the wrong way. Yep, I wrenched my back and have been in pain ever since. It’s getting better but no, the troubles didn’t stop there.

I happened to be looking something up on my bank’s website the same day as I put my back out and noticed a strange charge on the activity report. My hubby normally takes care of that so I haven’t been on the site for a while. Well a little more investigation showed me that someone had gotten the number to my husband’s debit card and had charged about $1200.00! They were pretty sly with it so it wasn’t blatantly obvious (since my hubby didn’t even notice) but damn! Aggressive little shits, weren’t they? The bank has been wonderful and will put the money back into our account quickly.

I also had to attend a funeral for a dear friend this past week. Patsy was 80 years old. She had a heart condition and alzheimers and had been pretty confused for a while. I know that her death was expected as the heart condition was terminal but it was still hard to let her go. She was a sweet, charming, loving woman who will be missed.

OMG I almost forgot to show you this! My oldest decided that she wanted her hair trimmed. Well, it got more than trimmed. By the time we got to the appointment she’d decided to chop most of it off. She’s beautiful (if I do say so myself) so I think she looks good all the time but the haircut she got is wonderful! Anyway, just thought I’d share…

The week did end on a good note (or began on a good note if you look at it differently) as yesterday was my wedding anniversary. Yes, the hubster and I have now been married for 18 looooong, arduous, painful years. lol Actually they’ve been pretty damned good years and I certainly hope they continue to be!:)

So on to what I read this past week:

I started the week with Too Wicked to Wed by Cara Elliott. This was a good historical and the start of a new trilogy for Ms. Elliott. I liked the writing style. The book ebbed and flowed for me but overall I it was good. You can read more of my thoughts in my review here. 3.75 out of 5

After that it was Lawe’s Justice by Lora Leigh. This is book 25 in the Breed series (seriously? That many?) and is Lawe Justice’s book. This has him and his mate at odds (how odd) because Lawe wants her to be protected and she’s a warrior and wants to be who and what she is – which is understandable. It was a good book but I think I might be getting sick of the angst between the mates. I liked the overall story arc and the other parts of it, I think, better than the romance – although that was good too. 4 out of 5 (comes out 12/6 – read for The Book Binge)

The Zero Knot by KZ Snow was next and I really liked this book. It was the story of 2 18 year olds from a small town who are trying to find who they are and what they want in life. I’ll be posting my review in a couple of days so watch for that.

Next was The Lady’s Secret by Joanna Chambers. I’ve been waiting for this one! Did you know that Joanna Chambers is our own Tumperkin from Isn’t It Romance? The book comes out today and I’m so excited for Tump I can hardly stand it! The book was a great historical romance and had so many great parts to it! I’ll be posting my review later this week so watch for that as well.

And…that was it! With everything going on this past week reading had to take the old back seat but hopefully I’ll get more reading done this week. I’ll be working at the polls tomorrow on election day and since there are only 2 measures on the ballot and those are both school board measures I’m thinking I’ll have most of the day to read! lol

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne
Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh
A Bride Unveiled by Jillian Hunter

Happy Reading!

6 Comments

Tagged: Cara Elliott, Joanna Chambers, K.Z. Snow, Lora Leigh, The Book Binge

M/m Series Recommendation: Utopia X Series by KZ Snow

Posted August 4, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 6 Comments

The last time the bloggers got together Renee, Judith and I were at Renee’s house chatting and Renee and I started talking about author KZ Snow. Have you read this one? Have you read that one? (You know how it goes when you start talking about books!). Anyway, when I mentioned Snow’s Utopia X series and she said she hadn’t read it I immediately started extolling its many virtues. lol I was thinking about this series last night for a reason or two so thought I’d bring it to the attention of those who’ve not read it before.

Book 1: Looking for Some Touch

This was the story of Pablo who is a male prostitute in a futuristic time. He has a bad experience with john and decides to try to get a job with a coven of three Alterationists. The three men aren’t really who they say they are – but it’s all good. Especially for Pablo and one of the men, Win who have a strange and wonderful attraction to each other. This is mainly the story of Pablo and Win but it does give you some insight into the other coven members, Tole and Zee. 4.25 out of 5

Book 2: Seeking Something Wicked

Utopia X: Seeking Something Wicked is more or less Tole’s story. He’s troubled by the relationship between Win and Pablo and ends up finding solace in the most unlikely place – in a vampire’s arms. Ridley is a vamp who ends up being in the right place at the right time for Tole and they start an affair. When trouble starts and Ridley gets taken, Tole is all about finding him and bringing him back. This was another good story in the series and I really liked Ridley a lot. 4 out of 5

Book 3: Exploring Savage Places

Book 3 in the Utopia X series is by far my favorite so far. Utopia X: Exploring Savage Places has Zee, of the Coven of Three, going to Pleasureplex to find out if there are shady dealings going on. Zee has pretty much been dumped by his current lover and is anxious to get the heck out of dodge for a while. Meanwhile Ridley from book 2 (that luscious vamp) has decided to leave town because he feels that his life as a vamp is hurting Tole too much and he can’t bear to hurt the man he loves. This story has so much more going on than what I’ve said but I don’t want to give too much away. This book had my chest aching for the pain the men were feeling and then smiling widely by the end. 4.5 out of 5

Book 4: Finding Utopia

When checking my blog for my thoughts on this one I realized I didn’t put a blurb out but I did a review which you can read here. But this book was just as good as the others ended the series so wonderfully. 4.25 out of 5

If you haven’t read these books before I hope you take the time to do so soon. They’re wonderful and definitely worth taking the time to read.

Snow has other books that are amazing as well but I’ll have to cover another series on another day. 🙂