Tag: TA Chase

What I Read Last Week

Posted March 11, 2013 by Tracy in Features | 5 Comments

Happy Freaking Monday!

How’s tricks? Do anything fun this past week?

My week was pretty bland…as usual. 🙂

I completely forgot to share a picture from the week before last. My youngest was in her 5th grade performance of “Internal Organ Hall of Fame” and she played the heart which got a Lifetime Achievement Award. Too funny. She got the only solo in the whole thing and she did really well if I do say so myself. Here’s her solo (sorry about the poor quality) and of course her hamming it up afterward.

 

So on to what I read this past week:

Is started off the week with Son of the Morning by Linda Howard. This was a wonderful book that I just loved. You can read my review on the story here. 5 out of 5  

 Next up was Mating Instinct by Katie Reus. The story is about Jayce who is the Enforcer for the Werewolf Council. He and Kat had been dating but then broke up 9 months ago when Kat left Jayce. Now he’s in her new town and she’s a newly turned werewolf. He is there on other business but he decides that he’s not going to let Kat get away this time. This was another great story in the Moon Shifters series. Reus does shifter stories well and this one was no different. 3.75 out of 5 (read for The Book Binge)

And the Miss Ran Away With the Rake by Elizabeth Boyle is the next book in the Rhymes with Love series that comes out on the 26th. The story is about Daphne and Henry. They have been corresponding under pen names and have fallen in love. They don’t know, however, that they are from rivaling families who can’t even stand to hear the others name. They fall in love again as Daphne and Henry without knowing that they are each others pen pal. It was a good story that could have been tighter. I thought the fact that their identities didn’t get revealed sooner was a bit much but it was good. 3.5 out of 5 

Along Came Trouble by Ruthie Knox is the second book in the Camelot series. This story is about Ellen who is fiercely independent after having been under first her mothers then her husband’s thumbs. She meets Caleb when he is hired for security by her famous brother and sparks fly. You can read my review here. 4 out of 5  

Pestilence by TA Chase was a free book on ARe not long ago. The story is about a man who is a doctor who’s wife and son die during the black plague. He is devastated and guilt ridden and kills himself. He is brought back though by Death and charged with spending his life as the First Horseman, Pesitilence. Centuries later he meets a dying man in the Amazon and they fall in love. The story decent, if a little stilted. Bart who was the dying man seemed a bit dim as he couldn’t figure out that there was something “other” about men named Pestilence and Death. Entertaining. 3 out of 5 

The Heart of a Hero by Janet Chapman in book 4 in the Spellbound Falls series. This was Nicholas story and has him courting Julia who is a housekeeper at the resort that was started by Nicholas’s friend Mac Oceanus. The story is about Julia’s struggle with her attraction to Nicholas as she was burned in her first marriage but a cheating and nasty husband. Nicholas was a great hero and I liked the book. You can read my review here at The Book Binge 4 out of 5 

Last for the week was The Duke and I by Julia Quinn. This was a re-read for me but it’s the Book Binge’s Book Club book of the month so I dug it off the shelves and devoured it. I’ll post my review this week.

 

My Book Binge reviews that posted since last Monday: 
Going Under by Lauren Dane 
The Song Remains the Same by Allison Winn Scotch 
The Heart of a Hero by Janet Chapman

Happy Reading!

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What I Read Last Week

Posted October 26, 2010 by Tracy in Features | 11 Comments

What’s up? What have you all been up to? Anything fun? Tell all!
Sorry this is so late today folks, I’m just busy, busy, busy!
So this is a short work week for me as tomorrow evening I’m leaving for San Francisco to go to Yaoi-Con and to meet up with Chris, Kris, Tam & Jenre and have a jolly good time. I can’t believe I’m actually going to meet all of these fabulous ladies from all over the globe. (Chris is from Minnesota, Kris from Australia, Tam from Canada and Jenre from England) It’s amazing that we could all work our schedules to get together and it’s going to be fabulous!
My reading this week was a tad frenetic – didn’t exactly stick to my normal routine of reading different sub-genre’s (contemp, then paranormal, then historical…in no particular order). I needed to get several books read so that the reviews could post on time so that kind of directed my reading. I’m happy to say that I got it all done – yay! And now I’ll have no worries about the blog while I’m gone. Hopefully my hubby will give up his laptop for the trip cuz I need to be connected!
Not a lot of excitement here other than getting ready for my trip so on to what I read last week:
First up was book 4 in the Farm series by Andrew Grey called Love Means…Freedom. This was a book about Stone who was kicked out of his father’s house when he came out to him. He was working his way south to warmer weather but got kicked out of his ride during a blizzard. He happens upon Eli and Geoff’s farm and is taken in. He meets Preston, who is in a wheelchair after being hit by a drunk driver and is doing the riding therapy at the farm. The two hit it off but as it usually does, life creates obstacles. This was a good installment in the series. It was almost a little too sweet for me between Preston and Stone. Preston’s father was an ass and I kept thinking that it would be revealed that he was the one that was hurting Preston’s work options but that never came to light. Who knows. 🙂 Cute though. 3.5 out of 5
Saving Lady Ilsa by Crystal Kauffman was a book that I read for The Book Binge. A historical about a second son who’s father wants him to marry but he’s in a committed relationship with another man. He’s willing to marry but not have the marriage be in name only. On a whim he takes home a tailor’s assistant, Ilsa, who is being abused by the tailor and decides to make her his bride. But he and his partner, Frederick, might want to keep her around and have the marriage be more than just in name. A cute book but it was a little hard for me to think of two gay men suddenly wanting a woman. 3.5 out of 5
Next was Duchess of Sin by Laurel McKee. This is book 2 in the Daughters of Erin series. I didn’t read book 1 but didn’t feel that I was missing anything. The story revolved around an Irish Duke who is anti-Union in 1799 and a woman who is looking for some meaning in life. The two fall in love and it’s quite romantic. The book mostly takes place in Dublin. I read this one for The Book Binge – it releases on November 30th. 4 out of 5
Next was a book that I received from the author for review – Forsaken by Shadow by Kait Nolan. The first book about the Mirus, who are paranormal beings. This story was about Cade who woke up and had no memory at all. Ten years later the woman he loves shows up needing his help to save her father. She would have looked for him sooner but she was told he was dead. We get to meet shadow walker, dragon shifters, fey, vampires. It was quite a good book and not that long so if you’re looking for a quick paranormal read this might be for you. You can a short review here. 4 out of 5
Craving Beauty by Nalini Singh was my DIK reading challenge book for the month. I’ll post my review on Friday.
My Tracy’s TBR challenge read for the week was Allergies by TA Chase. A shifter story about two men who meet at work – Lou’s a wolf shifter but Ray seems to be allergic to him when he’s in his human form. The story covered them getting together and the issues around Lou “coming out” as a shifter and those issues. There was another part of the book that had some shifter hunters coming into the territory but that wasn’t dealt with by the end of the book which was a bit surprising, and a little annoying. I can only assume it will be in the next book? IDK. I’ll have to read it and see. 3.25 out of 5
Undeniably Yours by Shannon Stacey was my next read. This was another book that set with the Kowalski family. Kevin has a one night stand but he’s really likes the woman, Beth, and wants to see if more can come from it. Well it did since she got pregnant – but she wants to just stay friends – friends that are having a baby together. I’ll post my review for this on Wednesday. It releases from Carina Press on Nov. 1. 4 out of 5
Picture Postcards by JM Snyder was a very short book but one I really liked. It was about a man, Donny, who was in love with his best friend, Greg, but his friend marries a woman and moves away. They fall out of contact but suddenly Donny is getting random postcards from Greg about his feelings and how he misses Donny, etc. Only 15 pages but it packed a punch. 4 out of 5
After Midnight by Teresa Medeiros was next and this was a book I read about when Luisa Prieto was on DIK recently. It’s a historical about a woman who thinks that the man who is courting her sister might be a vampire. Whether he’s a vampire or not she finds herself falling in love with him and he with her. Good book. The end resolution was a bit rushed but overall I really liked the story, thanks Luisa! 4 out of 5
Next up was Icing on the Cake by Alison Kent. I read this one for the True Vows tour and will be posting my review on Nov. 3rd. Let me just say though that the romance was great and I very much liked Kent’s writing.
Dance with a Vampire by Fabian Black was next. Only 7 pages long. The story was told in first person but it was told as if retelling a story to the person it happened to. (example: if I was telling the story of how I met my husband to my husband). It was short but sweet. I liked it. 4 out of 5 (free on ARe)
Last on the list was the novella You Get What You Want by Janey Chapel. This was a great book. An ex con, Jay, meets Patrick, a cop, when Patrick gets a drink at the bar that Jay works at. They are incredibly attracted to each other and have a great time in the bar’s office after closing. But Patrick can’t stop thinking about Jay and has 12 hours to kill before he has to head home (to another city), so seeks out Jay’s company. The time they spent together was very touching and sexy and I really loved the emotion that was infused into the story. 5 out of 5
My Book Binge reviews that posted since last Monday
Happy Reading!

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What I Read Last Week

Posted May 24, 2010 by Tracy in Features | 10 Comments

It’s Monday again. Why does this keep happening every stinking week? lol
Well, I’d love to say that my life is so exciting and I’d love to regale you with many a fun and funny anecdote but the truth is, nothing happened this past week of any import. Just a normal week in Tracyland. Maybe this week will be so exciting I’ll be bursting at the seams next Monday to share things with you. Let’s hope. lol
I read a lot of books for The Book Binge this week in a desperate attempt to catch up. I’m almost all the way through the books from May so I’m making headway! lol Only a few more to go and I’m all caught up – yay! 🙂
So what I read this week:
I started off the week with a new to me author, Marie Sexton, by reading Promises. This was an m/m story about Jared who had lived his whole life in a small town in Colorado except for his years in college. He is gay but pretty much resigned to living on his own for the rest of his days. Then Matt comes to work at the Coda police department and Jared and Matt become instant friends. Jared falls for Matt, but Matt’s not gay…or is he? This was such a damn good story. I liked it so much. I enjoyed the writing and could really feel the things that were happening between Matt and Jared. Good stuff and highly recommended. 4.5 out of 5
Next up was Impulsive by Cathryn Fox. The story of a woman whose lover is killed and she’s turned into a werewolf. 100 years later and she’s scented her dead lover – who’s been reincarnated into Kane…a werewolf hunter. Wow, what a couple. This was read for The Book Binge. 3 out of 5

Next up was Tracy’s TBR Challenge read as well as an FTSP read – Destined For An Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost. I bought this one the day it released and yet it’s sat on shelf til now. I think I was a little leery to start it as I wasn’t a huge fan of book 3. This one was a good read though with Cat running from a man who claimed to be her husband. It was a very emotional book between Cat and Bones and was hard to read at times but it was a good one. 4 out of 5

Next was Out of Bounds by TA Chase. This was the story of a professional basketball star who is gay – but he’s not out (except to his family) because he doesn’t wanted to take the chance that he might be removed from the team. Despite his qualms he begins a relationship with a nightclub owner. Kasey has real feelings for Gram but is hesitant to reveal his personal life to the press. The is a novella and I almost wish it had been a longer book. I felt kind of let down that what Kasey worried about the whole book was almost minimized because the book ended so soon after things happened. Beside that it was good. There was more sex than story imho but the sex was definitely steamy. 3 out of 5
Next up was Line of Fire by Jo Davis. This is book 4 in the Firefighters of Station 5 series – Tommy’s story. He’s pretty much in love with nurse, Shea Ford. She is afraid to get close to him because she’s afraid he is similar to a man in her past. She finally breaks through her misgivings and they fall in love. I really liked Tommy and Shea and they were so cute together – but almost too cute at times but it worked. The suspense part of the story was a little much but a pretty good story. Another Book Binge read. 3.5 out of 5

My next read was a short by Julie Kenner called Wrapped and Ready. I’m not sure what prompted me to pull out a Christmas short in May but I did. The story of Annie who’s had a thing for Brent most of her life – but they come from different lifestyles and she doesn’t think that Brent knows she exists. Oh, Brent knows and when Annie proposes that she get Brent as a Christmas present he’s definitely game. Cute. 3 out of 5

Bonded Souls by Nina Pierce was next. This is a prequel in her Shifting Bonds series. This tells the story of Jayda and how she met Cole (a wolf shifter) and became his mate. She is part of a prophecy and until she went on vacation to get some peace and quiet didn’t even know she was a shifter. Not only a shifter, by a polymorphic shifter – part wolf, part cougar, part human. A Book Binge read. 3.75 out of 5

Next I picked up Sucker for Love by Kimberly Raye for part of my FTSP. This is book 5 in the series and I got about 1/2 way through the book and realized I just didn’t care. I didn’t care about Lil, her family, Lil’s missing friend. Sorry to say the series has run it’s course for me. DNF
Another book I started and just couldn’t get into was Once a Bride by Shari Anton. I don’t have a clue where I got the book but it’s been on my shelf for a while. The story was about a man who accused of treason so goes into hiding and leaves his daughter (age 17) to face his accusers at their home. The man the king has sent to oversee the property while the matter is dealt with knows that he should have nothing to do with the daughter – and she’s pissed off at him for taking over the property – but that doesn’t stop their attraction. Again, I got about halfway through the book and nothing was clicking with me. DNF
Last but not least was another Tracy’s TBR Challenge read. This was The Runaway Princess by Christina Dodd. Though I read all of Dodd’s Darkness Chosen series I wasn’t thrilled with it. I definitely liked this historical book better. It was pretty simple – an easy read with some silly parts but very cute. The story of a prince who finds his runaway princess – only she’s not the princess – just someone who looks like her. No matter her protestations that she’s an orphan from England and her guardian was the one who taught her about their respective countries, he thinks she’s fabricating it all to get out of marrying him and won’t believe her. So was she the princess or not? As I said – pretty cute. 3.75 out of 5
Some of my Book Binge reviews that have posted:
Happy Reading!

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Doing Double Duty: DIK Reading Challenge & M/M Challenge Review: Angel’s Evolution by T.A. Chase

Posted March 24, 2010 by Tracy in Reviews | 9 Comments

This book was on Kris’s DIK list.
I’m a monster. Or so my father would have me believe. I’m imprisoned in a world I hate and fear. As heir to my father’s title, I’m expected to marry, but my secret desires may keep me from fulfilling those expectations.
One night a stranger kisses me. In his touch, I see the possibility of a life beyond my prison. My name? Just call me Angel and this is my evolution.
The story is told in first person present tense. It’s from Angel’s pov and he is a tortured soul. Not only emotionally, but physically as well. He led a pretty normal life until he was 10 years old and then his father started beating him relentlessly. Tying him to his bed and not letting him out. He was given no love by his siblings or his mother. Now all of a sudden his father is taking him out to balls. He’s not sure why and he’s certainly not prepared for the crush that the balls become. He’s uncomfortable in society, for obvious reasons, and tries to escape to the gardens whenever he can. On one such occasion he sees a beautiful man who he considers a god. He continues to see the man at balls and wonders who he is. At one ball he heads to the garden and is approached by his god – who kisses him. Angel is thrilled, but confused. Why did the man kiss him and how could he know that his kiss would be accepted?
Angel’s god is a Duke and one who has decided to live his life the way he wants…and he wants Angel. The Duke manages to get Angel away from his father but the road to recovery for Angel won’t be an easy one. Angel feels he is a monster and doesn’t know why he would be worthy of love from anyone.
This was an incredibly moving story. The way the story is told I truly felt the anguish and misery that is just seeping out of Angel (Angel isn’t really the characters true name – just a name that is given to him by the Duke and he adopts). He has truly been tortured both emotionally and physically and I just had to wonder how he would ever pull himself out of his self-loathing. But when Greyson came along he helped Angel see that he was a person with real feelings and not just a whipping post. And when Angel does realize he’s someone who deserves to be loved? Wow – I have to tell you I actually got chills it was so intense.
Now towards the end of the book when things were going better in Angel’s life I found myself thinking that it was starting to sound too good – all rainbows and butterflies. But then I stopped to think, when your life has been nohting but hatred and pain can it get too good? I don’t think it can – at least not imho.
This is not a light read by any means so if you’re looking for a comedy this is not the book for you. It’s a story with much angst but much happiness as well. It was a very good book and I’ll definitely be reading more of Chase’s work.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5

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