It’s a happy Monday for a couple of different reasons. First is the fact that my back is much improved. My back ended up being much worse than I originally thought and not only was it screwed up but I somehow exposed my sciatic nerve. Oh fun. I didn’t actually work at all last week except for 2 hours and was on some serious drugs. I’m a happy camper to be back at work. Second is that my youngest is back at school at feeling much better as well. Yay for good health! lol

Since I was home all of last week it was a quiet week so there’s not much to say – I’ll just get on with what I read.

First up was a paranormal story that I got for free from Amazon called Samson’s Lovely Mortal by Tina Folsom. This is the story of a woman who is in San Francisco for work and accidentally meets Samson, a vampire. He has been impotent for about 9 months but when he meets Delilah things start looking up so to speak. But there’s someone who is after Delilah and they find out that that issue is related to Samson’s company. There were miscommunications and trust issues in the story and of course the whole he’s a vampire thing didn’t work in his favor. It was a good book but not fabo – not bad for a free read. 3 out of 5

Next up was my TBR Challenge read for the month – Everything and the Moon by Julia Quinn. This was the story of two people who are broken up for 7 years by their own huge misunderstanding. You can read my review here. 3.5 out of 5

Diva and the Frat Boy by Daisy Harris was my next read. This is the story of flamboyant Nathaniel and staid and conservative Greg and how they came together. You can read my review here. 3 out of 5

Cruce de Caminos by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane was a novella that takes place, for the most part, in New Orleans and deals with a guy who is on drugs and heading down the wrong path in life. He is assisted in a very strange way by a man who may be a god of some sort. You can read my review here. 3 out of 5

Crazy on You by Rachel Gibson is a novella in the Lovett, Texas series. This is the story of Lilly and her reputation for being a nutcase and the relationship with her younger next door neighbor, Tucker. My mini-review will post on Wednesday. 3.5 out of 5

Next up was The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan. The story is about a governess, Serena, who is basically raped by a Duke. The duke’s assistant, Hugo, is sent to get rid of her when she refuses to leave the premises without her demands being met. Hugo and Serena have an odd connection and end up falling in love. This is seriously one of the best novella’s I think I’ve ever read. It definitely is one of the top 10…and near the top of the list. The story is kind of a prequel to the Brothers Sinister series and tells how the Brothers Sinister came to be. The odd but compelling romance between Hugo and Serena was so very touching and sweet and warmed my heart. Definitely a must read and one that I will re-read many, many times in the future. 5 out of 5

Alien Mate by Eve Langlais was up next and was the story about Kor who’s from another planet who comes to take his mate, Diana from Earth, back home. The story deals with Diana’s resistance and how Kor deals with it as well as his crazy brother once they get back home. Not bad for an erotic sci-fi novella. 3 out of 5

My next read was The Harder They Fall by Trish Jensen. This is the story about a woman who is trying to save her families restaurants from being sold to a large corporation. Darcy and the rep from the corporation end up in a relationship but it’s not all fun and games. My review will post on The Book Binge – I’ll let you know when that goes up. 3.75 out of 5

The Malorie Phoenix by Janet Mullany was a historical novel about a woman pickpocket who has a tryst with a man one night at Vauxhall Gardens. She ends up getting pregnant and when she believes she’s dying not long after giving birth she finds the man and gives him the baby. Seven years later she’s asked to impersonate a woman and ends up engaged to her daughter’s father. It was a good romance as well as having some suspense involved. The hero started out ok in my mind but went downhill throughout the book. I didn’t hate him by the end but my admiration for his good deeds quickly died near the end. Another Book Binge read – I’ll let you know when my review posts. 3.5 out of 5

Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins was the story about Parker who is a single mom of 35 who suddenly has lost her fortune (well her dad lost it all) and is left with very little money. She was left a home in Maine that she wants to flip so she heads up. Her fathers lawyer heads up to help her and the two start a relationship. The story is about Parker finding her way now that she doesn’t have millions as well as her romance with James. I’ll post my review later this week. 3.75/4 out of 5

Next up was Undone by Her Tender Touch by Maya Banks. This is about Cam who has a one night stand with Pippa and no plans for either of them to ever contact the other. But Pippa ends up preggo after a condom breaks and the story deals with Pippa and Cam dealing with the situation as well as their feelings for each other. I’ll post my review later this week. 3.5 out of 5

Last for the week was Coveted by Shawntelle Madison. This was a strange paranormal story about a werewolf woman with OCD who is a hoarder. She has fear and anxiety issues as well and is subsequently kicked out of her pack for being weak and according to them, a little bit nuts. Natalya tries to deal with her issues along with a rival pack trying to take over her old pack in New Jersey but they’re after Natalya and she can’t quite figure out why. Then there’s her ex boyfriend Thorn who was the love of her life. He left to go to San Diego 5 years prior and never contacted her. Now he’s back in town but his father, the alpha has promised him in marriage to someone else. The story is about Natalya trying to live a normal life, deal with her feelings for Thorn, going to a support group for others like herself and trying to remain alive. The story was ok but kind of all over the place. It wasn’t a romance at all but had a few romantic elements in it with Nat and Thorn. I never truly understood why Thorn left all those years ago and never returned nor ever contacted Nat if he loved her so much. The pack treated her like crap and her family did too for the most part. It was an odd story but definitely readable. 2.5 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week: