Tag: Madeleine Urban

What I Read Last Week

Posted April 15, 2013 by Tracy in Features | 3 Comments

Howdo!

What have you all been up to this past week? Anyone do anything fun? It was a pretty quiet week in Tracyland which was really nice. This past weekend I didn’t have to go too many places so I got to be a homebody and just hang with the kids. That was really nice. 🙂

So since I have nothing to report about life I’ll get right on to what I read last week: 

I started off the week with Stranded with a Billionaire by Jessica Clare. This was a great book about Bonte who is a waitress from Kansas City that wins a trip to the Bahamas and ends up stuck on the island during a hurricane. She’s not alone though, she’s with Logan who she thinks is the resort manager but he’s actually the owner and is a billionaire. They spend great time together but when she finds out who he really is she’s pissed at the lie and heads home. He finds her again and the book is the story of them trying to work through their relationship issues – mainly him having money and her not having it and how they deal with that. It was really good and I definitely recommend it. 4 out of 5 (read for Book Binge) 

Mindlink by Kat Cantrell was a sci fi book that was my next read. I’m not usually a fan of sci-fi romance but this was pretty darned good. I’ll be posting my review of this one in a couple of days. 

Warrior’s Cross by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux told the story of Cameron who is a waiter who has a crush on a guy who comes into his restaurant every Tuesday. They finally talk after months of silence (besides order taking/giving) and end up going home together. Julian and Cameron start a relationship but Cam really doesn’t know all that much about Julian and Julian doesn’t share. This was a good book but I didn’t like that we were never specifically told – and neither was Cameron – what Julian did. It’s inferred that he’s a hit man (all evidence points that way in my mind) but for some reason the fact that it wasn’t specifically stated bothered me. IDK, maybe it was just me. It was a hard relationship and it didn’t look like it was going to get any easier so it was hard for me to completely enjoy the HEA. 4 out of 5 

Falke’s Renegade by Madison Layle and Anna Leigh Keaton is book 3 in the Puma Nights series. This book was a bit different from the others as it starred only 1 woman and 1 man (previous 2 book it was m/f/m). The story was about the Falke sister, Heidi, who is a vet and nurses a black jaguar back to health after being shot. The jaguar is a shapeshifter and he’s not exactly welcomed into the Falke family. I’ll post my full review later this week. 

Next I tried to read Cowboys Down by Barbara Elsborg but I just couldn’t get into it. It’s an m/m book about an uptight stock broker from England who goes to a working ranch in Wyoming to learn to relax and get dirty. The guys were ok together but the homophobia being thrown around was just too much for me and it had me setting down the book. I normally like Elsborg’s books but this one didn’t work and I ended up putting it down half way through. DNF 

Roses in Moonlight by Lynn Kurland was a great book about an innocent American woman who is thought to be a thief. The man who is hired to get the stolen object back thinks she’s involved but when he finally realizes she’s not their more than attached. I really liked this one. It didn’t have a whole lot of time travel but enough to satisfy. Derrick and Samantha were wonderful together and I loved reading about them. 4.25 out of 5 (read for Book Binge) 

A Passion for Pleasure by Nina Rowan is probably not a book I would have normally picked up but it was sent to me (randomly) by the publisher and ended up sounding good so I picked it up. The book has several different parts to the story that all intermingle. Sebastian was a well known pianist but suddenly quit playing and returned home. Clara is a baron’s daughter who is looking for assistance in getting her son back from her father and requests Sebastian’s help. I’ll post more info in my review later this month but it was really good. 4.25 out of 5 

My next read was In Plain Sight by Marie Harte. This is a story set in the Cougar Falls series and involves Cullen who is a large man but quiet and shy. He’s got a thing for local waitress Sarah but Sarah’s on the outs with a lot of the townspeople because of vicious rumors that have been spread. Cullen saves Sarah when she’s attacked by other shapeshifters and takes her home to help her heal. Cullen wants her for keeps as he’s been in love with her for forever but he knows that he needs to go slow so he doesn’t scare Sarah away. This was a good novella. I loved Cullen and his shyness. He almost did himself in with Sarah when he just couldn’t get himself to talk to her. This one was short but good. 3.5 out of 5 

Last for the week was Gay as Mardi Gras by Lily Velden. Jesse’s grandma is convinced he’s gay even though he just spent 6 years in a relationship with a woman. She sends him on a month-long gay cruise in the hopes that he’ll find a partner. Though he and his roommate spend all their time together it’s not until a couple of weeks in that Jesse starts realizing that the has feelings for Daniel. The story was very sweet and though the sex scenes were more sex-lite (compared to some) they were still very hot. Short but good. 🙂 4 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
crickets

Happy Reading!


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Guest Review: Cut & Run by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

Posted November 17, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 4 Comments

Tracy’s review of Cut & Run (Cut & Run #1) by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

A series of murders in New York City has stymied the police and FBI alike, and they suspect the culprit is a single killer sending an indecipherable message. But when the two federal agents assigned to the investigation are taken out, the FBI takes a more personal interest in the case.

Special Agent Ty Grady is pulled out of undercover work after his case blows up in his face. He’s cocky, abrasive, and indisputably the best at what he does. But when he’s paired with Special Agent Zane Garrett, it’s hate at first sight. Garrett is the perfect image of an agent: serious, sober, and focused, which makes their partnership a classic cliché: total opposites, good cop-bad cop, the odd couple. They both know immediately that their partnership will pose more of an obstacle than the lack of evidence left by the murderer.

Practically before their special assignment starts, the murderer strikes again – this time at them. Now on the run, trying to track down a man who has focused on killing his pursuers, Grady and Garrett will have to figure out how to work together before they become two more notches in the murderer’s knife.

FBI agents Ty Grady – a brash and harsh man who doesn’t give a shit about anything but getting his many and Zane Garrett – a man who has made himself into the perfect agent in order to keep his life on the straight and narrow – are paired on a criminal case to try and find a serial killer. Ty is good with puzzles as is Zane and together the FBI hopes that they will find their killer.

Ty is not pleased to, say the least, to be partnered with a man who has a stick so far up his ass he can hardly turn his head but he soon learns that there’s much more to SA Garrett than he originally thought. Garrett can’t believe his crap luck in getting Ty for a partner but he also finds that there’s more behind the gruff exterior than her first believed. The problem with Garrett is that he’s incredibly interested in Ty in a way that he doesn’t want to be and that’s physically.

The men struggle to find out who is behind the killings – especially when they start to believe that it’s an actual fellow FBI agent that is the killer. They are trying to solve the case, running from the killer and starting a relationship that neither one of them knows how to handle.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I opened this book but it soon had me turning pages faster and faster. I really loved Ty and Zane and their characters. I knew that there were more layers to them than we first saw and I couldn’t wait until they got peeled away and when those layers did get stripped it was well worth the wait.

Ty, as I said, was very harsh and wasn’t afraid to tell anyone, including Zane exactly what he thought of him. But after a while and some serious shit that went down he mellowed. Zane on the other hand was a real structured, dare I say, completely anal guy. He was a by-the-book agent at first but when we got to know him we realized that this was a defense mechanism for him and something he did to keep his anger issues as well as his addictions in check. Once that man let loose he was hell on wheels.

The relationship in this book was fantastic. It really ran the gambit from hate to like to something stronger but the men truly weren’t sure what to do with it and how to handle it. The myriad of emotions that the authors showed us were truly mind-boggling and I was highly impressed with how it was all handled. The indecision, the awkwardness, the tenderness and of course the very hot sexin between Ty and Zane was exquisite and I soaked up every word.

The killer was another mystery and that plot was also well thought out. I wasn’t exactly sure until the end who the killer was even though I had my suspicions.

My one niggle with the story was the head hopping that was constant throughout the book.  It didn’t ruin my enjoyment too too much but it did get a bit annoying at times.

This book has definitely made me want to read more in this series and learn more about Ty and Zane and what’s in store for them in the future. If you’ve been thinking about reading this one but wasn’t sold, you should be – it’s well worth the read.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

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


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What I Read Last Week

Posted November 14, 2011 by Tracy in Features | 5 Comments

Well it’s back to work for me after having 3 glorious days off. I was a complete slug this weekend and hardly left my house at all. You’d think I would have gotten so much stuff done – either reading or housework or….IDK, something! Yet, I didn’t. I got a couple of books read…the kids and I went to see the movie Jack and Jill which they were dying to see. I had no desire to see it yet I laughed throughout the film. We just hung out at home and played the game of Life. My youngest bought the board game with some birthday money this past July and I think we played about 20 games over the course of the 3 days. I know! That’s a lot but both girls were somewhat addicted, to say the least. I couldn’t resist them batting their beautiful eyelashes at me so I didn’t end up getting a whole lot done. Oh well…there’s always next weekend. 🙂

Then there was the Great Ravioli Massacre at our house. My oldest was making ravioli (from frozen) and doing it in the microwave (she’s too impatient to wait till the water boils and do it on the stove) and had a spot of trouble. She put less than the normal amount of ravioli’s in the bowl but then forgot to adjust the time setting and ended up burning those ravioli’s into lovely charcoal briquets. I smelled something burning (luckily I was at the kitchen table) and ran over before they actually caught fire. My entire house smells like burnt…something, and smoke. lol I think my daughter’s now afraid to use the microwave – poor thing. That was about as much excitement as we had all weekend. 🙂

On to what I read last week. It just didn’t feel like I read that much but looking at the titles it was more than I thought! According to my self-imposed challenge on Goodreads I’m 22 books behind. Oh well, it was a lofty goal to think I could read 400 books in one year! lol

I started the week with Cut & Run by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux. Wow. What a great book! I’ve had this for a long while – I think I got it free at one point from ARe – but had never cracked it open. I’m so glad I finally did! It was a really good mystery and suspense story as well as the start of a burgeoning romance between two FBI agents who couldn’t be more different. There was a lot of head hopping in the story which got a bit annoying, but other than that I loved the story. It’s interesting to see all the different ratings on goodreads as it’s gotten marks all over the board. Just shows you how some books appeal to some and not others. I will definitely be diving into book 2 in this series soon. 4.5 out of 5 (I wrote a review for this and posted it on The Book Binge. It will post on Thursday in case you’re interested)

Next up was Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins. I really love Higgins’ books! Her characters and humor just keep dragging me back in time and again and I’ve not been disappointed yet. This story was about a girl who has a crush on a boy in high school. Now he’s a widower and back in the town with his 15 year old daughter. The pair somehow get together and start a relationship but there are many things at play between Posey and Declan and not all of it good. You can read more in my review posted here. 4 out of 5

Next was Coming Home by Beverly Cialone. This is the story of a couple who were great friends and in love with each other when the girl was 16 and the guy 23 or 24. He leaves town and the girl because he feels that she needs to live her life and that it wasn’t right to pursue anything more. Now her parents have died and he goes back to “take care of her”. The relationship blossoms from there but there’s someone who doesn’t want them to be together. The was a requested review and I will be posting my thoughts on this soon. 2 out of 5

Next up was Vampire in Atlantis by Alyssa Day. I read this one for The Book Binge and my review will post tomorrow if you’re interested. The story was about Daniel the Vampire and a woman, Serai, who has been in stasis for 11,000 years. She gets out of her “prison” and heads off to find one of the stones that belongs in Poseidon’s trident. She meets up with Daniel who she was in love with all those many years ago. They each thought the other was dead so are beyond happy when they find each other again. This was a good book but I just didn’t find anything wonderful about it. It was a lovely romance between the reunited couple and of course the sex was smoking but other than that I just wasn’t wowed by it. 3 out of 5

OMG I can’t believe I forgot to post this in…yikes (I really wish that goodreads had a “date I finished the book” section to their goodreads app!)  I read Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl as well!  This was Eric Donovan’s story.  I really liked the novella that Dahl wrote about the couple in “The Guy Next Door” anthology but I got a bit disappointed in Eric as the series went on.  Yes, the book explained a ton of reasons why Eric acts as he does but he still frustrated the bejabbers out of me.  I will post my review on this book later this week.

Fire on the Mountain by PD Singer was my next read. This is the story of two men, Jake and Kurt, who are fire rangers in the Colorado mountains. They are a two man team and live in close quarters. Jake, who is gay (the story is told from his pov) has suddenly noticed Kurt in a sexual way and is trying hard to do his job and not show Kurt how attracted he is to him. That all becomes a moot point when they are stuck in the path of a raging fire and may die. The two men get together but then are separated and of course doubts abound as to each others feelings. It was a good book up until the time they were separated. Because it was told in 1st person the internal struggle with Jake got a bit old and then when they did get together it was pages and pages of reunion sex. Not a bad thing but I just wanted more. I’ve heard good things about book 2 so I will keep reading the series. 3 out of 5

Last for the week was Heartbreak Creek by Kaki Warner. I’m usually not a huge fan of historical westerns but this one looked particularly good so I gave it a try. I’m glad I did. Edwina is a true southern lady but with the war, her father dying and the plantation taking too much money she knows she has to do something. She signs the plantation over to the bank and becomes a mail order bride. She heads to Colorado with her half-sister, Prudence (who’s half black), to become the wife of a rancher. The book tells us the story of Edwina (Ed) and her husband Declan and how they manage to get along and eventually fall in love but there’s so much more to the story. We get to see the town of Heartbreak Creek and get to know more about it. Declan has an Indian after him who seeks vengeance and then there’s the little issue of whether they’re actually married or not. It’s a good story and I’m glad I picked it up. This was my first read by Warner but it won’t be my last. 4.25 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Angels of Darkness (anthology) by Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook & Sharon Shinn
Telling Tales by Charlotte Stein

Happy Reading!


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What I Read Last Week

Posted July 19, 2010 by Tracy in Features | 13 Comments

Greetings!
OMG I’m so relaxed! lol  After the frantic pace of the trip to Chicago it has been incredibly nice to have peace and quiet in the house.  With just hubby and I there we’ve relaxed and slept in (something I don’t normally get to do) and just enjoyed the tranquility.  The kids don’t get back until Wednesday so we’re going to keep on enjoying it until then. 🙂  
So when I was in Chicago – the very first day we were out and about – my glasses broke!  I know, it sucks, right?  So I managed to superglue them together – it appeared that just a post had come out on the right earpiece.  I kept gluing them until I got home and could take them to the optometrist.  Bad news, they can’t fix them. Waaaaah!  I love my glasses and they were only 18 months old. Oh well.  Anyway, I could get the same pair but my vision insurance only covers a new pair of frames every other year so I would have had to pay $200.00 to get a new pair.  No.  Thanks, but no.  So I ended up giving them my old set of frames so that they could put my current prescription into them – which the insurance paid for.  I’m currently still using my broken frames which sit crookedly on my face – it’s quite a sight, lemme tell ya! lol.  Hopefully my old/new glasses will be here soon. 
Oh and I’ve been horrible with my and Finish the Series Project reads this month so I’ll do better next week, I swear. lol
So on to what I read this past week – and they were all pretty darned good books:
First on the list was a wonderful book by a new to me author.  Cooking With Ergot by Luisa Prieto was a very good book about a witch and the man he thinks is a witch hunter.  The two find an unexpected bond with each other while searching for the real witch hunter.  Humorous, fun, sexy with a bit of intrigue – just a good book.  4 out of 5
My next read was one for The Book Binge.  Dark Embers by Tessa Adams was the first in a new dragon shifter series called Dragon’s Heat.  This was the story of the king of the Dragonstar clan, Dylan, and his last ditch effort to save his clan from a deadly disease by enlisting human scientist Phoebe.  Danger and lots of sex ensued. 🙂  Good book.  4 out of 5
Next up was another book for The Book Binge – Never As It Seems by Shiloh Walker.  This was about Chloe and Leo who had been together previously but had parted 3 years ago because Leo thought that Chloe was lying to him about being a psychic.  He called her all sorts of horrible things and now he has to guard her because someone’s after her – he decides he wants her back.  Yeah, easier said than done buddy.  A good novella – as I’ve come to expect from Ms. Walker. 3.75 out of 5
After that I delved into Love In The Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas.  This is book 5 in the Hathaway series and I was a little leery to start it as it had a trope I’m not fond of: someone pretending to be someone they’re not.  However I started the book and really loved the first half of it.  The second half was much more sedate but still good, I just didn’t love it as much as the first.  The story was of Beatrix who was writing letters to a soldier and signing her friends’ name. The soldier, Christopher, thought he had fallen in love with Prudence but it was really Beatrix. I really liked Christopher and Beatrix together and was glad that they managed to work it all out. 4.25 out of 5

OMG I almost forgot to add this and that would have been horrible!  An Uncommon Whore by Belinda McBride was a great sci-fi m/m read.  A slave who is whored out by his owner and has no memory of who he really is or any of his past finds out that he is actually the king of his people.  The man who finds him, Griffin, was his past lover and Helios, the king, is determined that they will stay together. A very good fantasy read that I very much enjoyed. 4 out of 5
This was a Tracy’s TBR Challenge read

Another read for The Book Binge was Special Delivery by V.J. Devereaux.  This was the story of Federal Prosecutor, L.C. Mackay aka Lacey.  Lacey is on a huge case involving a Mexican drug cartel.  She really needs to relax and well, have sex.  She decides to enlist Rick, who she finds on the internet, to help her. Sounds a bit tawdry but it was well done and quite good. 4 out of 5
Caught Running by Madeleine Urban and Abilgail Roux was a book I read for both my DIK reading Challenge and my m/m reading challenge.  I’ll post my review the last week of July and yes, you have to wait until then to hear my thoughts.  I’m such a tease! lol
Power Unleashed by Savannah Stuart is the 3rd book in the Miami Scorcher series and another good read.  Paz is a werewolf who’s also part Fae.  According to werewolf laws she has to be put to death cuz they hate the Fae.  So who does she discover is her mate?  The Council’s enforcer.  Oops.  I read this one for The Book Binge as well.  You can read my review of this novella as well as a guest post by Savannah Stuart over there today. 4 out of 5
And last on the list was Heart of Vengeance by Tracy Cooper-Posey.  This is a medieval story of a woman who is considered an outlaw who is determined to find and kill the man who killed her father.  But her plans change somewhat when she meets Stephen who is an outcast from King Richard’s court.  I’ll be posting my review of this book this week so you’ll have to come check it out.
My Book Binge reviews that posted this past week:
Happy Reading!


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What I Read Last Week

Posted June 28, 2010 by Tracy in Features | 12 Comments

Happy Monday!  I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince you or myself – but my coffee is helping, a lot! lol
A quiet week on the old home front.  The weekend brought lots of house cleaning and shopping for clothes for my oldest.  That child is growing by leaps and bounds and her clothes can’t keep up!  I’ve been trying to just buy her clothes little by little because she’s growing out of them so fast but this time I think I got her enough to make it through summer.  Fingers crossed. lol
Other than that not much going on so I’ll get down to what I read last week:
First up was Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh.  This one doesn’t come out until July 6 so I was extremely happy to be able to read it early for The Book Binge.  It was another great book in the Psy/Changeling series.  This book is the story of cop Max Shannon (Talin’s human friend) and Sophia Russo – a Justice Psy and I really, really  liked it!  I’ll let you know when my review posts. 🙂  4.5 out of 5
The One That Got Away by Rhianne Aile and Madeleine Urban was the book that was chosen for my June Pick-It For Me Challenge on the m/m group on Goodreads.  I read reviews on this one but just hadn’t gotten around to buying it so I’m glad I was “forced” to do it.  🙂  This was the story of David who broke his shoulder and his best friend Trace who moves in to take care of him.  David is gay, Trace is not.  David hadn’t had any sexual thoughts about Trace until they’re basically living together and then the lascivious thoughts begin.  Trace isn’t necessarily opposed to David but he’s not jumping in with both feet.  This was a great book in that the slow, sensual seduction and the build up of what was to come was so engaging.  I loved that David didn’t push Trace and that they deeply considered their friendship before doing anything.  A very good read. 4 out of 5
Next up was Open Season by Linda Howard.  This was my DIK Reading Challenge book for June and it was a good one.  You can read my review here. 4 out of 5
After that I read Obsessed by KZ Snow.  This is book 3 in the Jackson Spey – Adin Swift story arc and I decided to start with this one because it’s really where the m/m story begins.  The first two books, I think (please correct me if I’m wrong), cover Adin’s relationship with Celia.  This was an odd choice of a book for me because I have issues with infidelity and Adin being in a relationship with Celia but then beginning a relationship with Jackson should have hit all of my hot buttons…but it didn’t.  I think it was because of two reasons A) the two men had truly been in love with each other for about 10 years and B) Celia gave her unmitigated approval of the relationship.  I very much enjoyed seeing the two men expressing their feelings for each other and can’t wait to see what happens next in their relationship.  4 out of 5
I tried to read a Silhouette Nocture called Alpha Wolf by Linda O. Johnston for my Tracy’s TBR Challenge read.  The premise of the book – a vet finding a wounded animal and then his owner comes to get him – the owner, unbeknownst to the vet is a shapeshifter was a good one and one that caught my attentionUnfortunately, I tried to read the whole thing but I just couldn’t get into it.  The vet was annoying me with the – this man scares me, but he’s hot so it’s all ok thing. Ug.  Couldn’t get past the first 100 pages. DNF
Next was Gemini: The Wicked Things by Pepper Espinoza (Boys of the Zodiac series).  I probably wouldn’t have found this one on my own but read a Tuesday Teaser that Tam did and the talking horse caught my eye! lol  The story follows Travis who has moved in with his mother to help her out because she’s dealing with dementia.  He meets a huge black dog that ends up being the ghost/soul of a long dead legend who can shapeshift.  John, the dog and legend, makes him see that he’s not exactly who he thinks he is and that his mother’s dementia is being caused by an evil witch.  Only Travis can save them.  Although I’m not a huge fan of witch stories I liked this one.  There was just enough of a mix of oddity, family and love that I liked it.   3.5 out of 5
The last book for the week was One Dance With A Duke by Tessa Dare.  This is book one in her new Stud Club trilogy and it was a good one.  Amelia is 26 and pretty much a wallflower.  She’s taken care of her family for years and they mean everything to her.  When she finds out that the man that the ton has dubbed The Duke of Midnight has taken her poor brother, Jack, for four hundred pounds when they have not a penny to spare, she’s more than pissed.  When the Duke shows up for his midnight dance she butts in and dances with him to give him a piece of her mind and try to make him forgive the debt.  This begins a relationship that is both loving and heartbreaking. I very much enjoyed seeing Amelia and Spencer verbally sparring.  They did it so well.  Now I can’t say I agreed with how Amelia handled things at the end of the book (and no, I’m not telling you what happened, that would spoil it) but overall I really liked the book and am going to buy book 2 in the trilogy which came out on the 22nd. 4.5 out of 5
Oh and if you haven’t seen it already, the trailer that Tessa made for this trilogy is fabulous!  You can watch it by clicking on the link to her site.
My Book Binge reviews that posted this past week:
Happy Reading!


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