So I read this week but when I sat down to read I read a lot at one time since I had no time. But what I did make time for was lunch with my blogging buddies Lori and Nikki. We met at Borders in Northridge, had lunch and then went to a local UBS that was pretty huge – at least the biggest one I’ve ever been to. It was so much fun talking about kids and books and books and kids. lol We had a great time.

So on to what I read this week.

My first book was a Tracy’s TBR Challenge read. It was Tied Up, Tied Down by Lorelei James which is book 4 in the Rough Riders series. This was a good book about Kade and Skylar. Kade has come back to his home after being gone for a year and discovers that he’s a father. Sky had tried to contact him but since he was out of communication range he never found out about the baby. Wanting to be a full-time dad he moves in with Sky. Not only do they work on being parents together but they work on their relationship as well. 4 out of 5

Tied Up, Tied Down has a TON of MacKay family members in it and since it had been a while since I’d read book 3 in the RR series I was kind of confused. I felt the need to keep reading the series so I didn’t lose the info! This led me to read Rough, Raw and Ready by Lorelei Jameswhich is book 5 in the series. This one is about Trevor and his wife Chassie running a ranch. Chassie is a cousin to the MacKay family and Trevor, if you remember from book 1 was on the rodeo circuit with Colby. If you read book 1 you also know that Trevor was involved and pretty much in love with his Brazillian roping partner, Edgard. But Edgard went back to Brazil and Trevor was devastated. Now Trevor is married to Chassie and very much in love with her but when Edgard shows up emotions get tangled up. I thought this was a great book dealing with a past love – not only a past love but a m/m relationship. The way Ms. James dealt with both Trevor’s, Edgard’s and Chassie’s feelings and reactions was pretty darned great. A very emotional read. 4.5 out of 5

I told you I didn’t want to lose the family connection with the RR series so I kept reading and moved on to book 6 Branded as Trouble by Lorelei James. This book dealt with Colt and India. India is Sky’s sister (from book 4) and she’s run a tattoo studio in Sundance. India is Colt’s AA sponsor but they’ve become best friends over the 3 year period that they’ve known each other. Well, with Colt it goes a bit deeper – he’s completely in love with India and wants more from their relationship. This was another great story. Ms. James doesn’t skimp on her plot lines, let me tell you. Dealing with their addictions as well as their emotions during the book made for a great story. 4.25 out of 5

The last story in this series (so far) is book 6.5 Strong, Silent Type by Lorelei James. This is a novella about a MacKay cousin, Quinn and his wife. They’ve been together since they were 16 years old but Libby has kicked Quinn out of the house and when the story begins it’s been 3 months. Libby’s ready to file for divorce, even though she loves Quinn. She just doesn’t feel they can live together any longer. For Quinn’s part he’s miserable and wants nothing more than to be with Libby. He’s not sure what’s going on but he’s not going to let her go. Let me tell you, anyone who has has communication issues with a spouse, S.O. or a boyfriend can relate to this book. It just showed me how people in long-term relationships can become complacent and feel that they know the other person inside and out, when maybe they don’t. Quinn and Libby deal with different aspects of their relationship and I thought it was very well done. 4.5 out of 5

You’d think after all of those Lorelei James books I’d stop reading her, right? Nope. I moved on to 2 of her novella’s that deal with MacKay cousins – the West’s. This is actually a different series called the Wild West Boys. Mistress Christmas & Miss Firecracker are the 2 novellas and the 2 stories follow brothers Nick and Blake West. While they grew up on a farm in Wyoming neither story takes place in that state. I very much enjoyed the 2 stories and would recommend them to anyone who read the RR series or those who just like a cute, light read.
Mistress Christmas – 4 out of 5 & Miss Firecracker – 4.25 out of 5

After all of those cowboys I needed something a little different so I dug into Josh Lanyon’s Somebody Killed His Editor. I really, really liked this book. It was a great mystery story about Christopher Holmes, an author or mystery stories that revolve around a character by the name of Miss Butterwith. Well, his editor has told him that the story lines aren’t really what they’re looking for any longer so he they’re not contracting with him any longer. Christopher heads off to a writers conference with his agent to meet with his editor. While he’s there, stuck on the island because of a storm, dead bodies start appearing – one being his editor. Christopher is who everyone thinks murdered him so he’s out to prove that he didn’t do it. In the meantime he’s run into another author who he had a weekend fling with 10 years earlier. This a great book. It’s got a mystery, a relationship & fabulous humor. 4.5 out of 5

Next up was Love Leaves No One Behind by Claudia Pemberton. This is another Tracy’s TBR Challenge read for the week. I purchased this book because Ms. Pemberton was scheduled to be at Lora Leigh’s RAW last September. I bought the book but never got around to reading it. I have to tell ya, I had a damned hard time getting through it. It’s not that the story wasn’t good but it was very slow, sluggish and incredibly descriptive. I don’t mind in depth descriptions if it’s gonig to provide some much needed info for the rest of the story. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case for this book. It did have some really cute parts to it but overall I just didn’t care for it.
2.5 out of 5

My next read one I’ve been looking forward to for a long while: Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I love Nalini’s books! I just love the way she writes – she could write a laundry or grocery list and I would gobble it up. This book was no different – the story between leapord changeling Mercy and wolf changeling was Riley was hot as hell. But don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all about sex but their relationship and how it developed. The sexual and emotional tension kept me on the edge of my seat for most of the book. Good stuff! 5 out of 5

I read my very first yaoi manga! Ok, it was my first manga – whether it was yaoi or not. I liked it a lot – cute stories, purty menz, what’s not to like? It took a little getting used to reading it back to front and right to left but I got used to it and pretty much enjoyed it all. This book was Lover’s Pledge by Kae Maruya. It’s got several different stories in it, all yaoi and I thought it was great. I have nothing to compare it to, but still! 🙂 4 out of 5

When I got back from my lunch with Lori and Nikki I sat down to read a last minute grab at the UBS which was To Protect the Child by Anna DeStefano (book 2 in the Atlanta Heroes series). This is a category and I’ll be reviewing it later in the month for my Year of the Category challenge.

Last but not least was a book I’ll be reviewing for The Book Binge which was Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella. I’ll let you know when the review posts.