I hope you all had a very nice new year.  My hubby took the girls to see the new Narnia movie and I stayed home and read. Nice! lol  I stayed up until 12 and then was asleep by 12:05. I know, I’m a party animal. 

For 2011 I’ve decided to only take on 1 challenge besides my own TBR challenge and that is Wendy’s TBR challenge.  Can you tell I’m trying to get through that sucker?  It’s needs to diminish!  The rule about posting the review on a specific date is always what fucks me up so I’ll see how it goes.

If you haven’t already gone over to DIK to enter the Grand Finale giveaway you need to do it!  Great books being given away to 2 lucky winners.  You have until the 8th at midnight to enter

The Karen Mercury book giveaway for Working the Lode is open until 1/4/11 at 11:59pm (pacific).

Life is pretty boring around here so I’ll get on with telling you what I read:

I started off with The Trap by Indigo Wren.  This is a story about workaholic David who finally decides to take a vacation to an island resort.  The brochure was just too compelling and he decided to take a break for a month.  He gets there only to find out that it’s not a resort – it’s all a hoax perpetrated by his ex-best friend, Ethan, to get him alone and make him face some hard truths about himself – mainly his sexuality and lack of acceptance of what it really is.  I really liked the book a lot.  There were some times that I thought David overreacted and I wanted to smack him upside the head but overall a really good book. 4.5 out of 5

Next was The Christmas Fantasy by KT Grant.  This was a cute story about a woman who is on a mission to lose her virginity and wants it taken by her brother’s best friend who she’s been in love with forever.  He’s all for the idea but life gets in the way and the woman starts to believe the crap in her head rather than reality.  It was a light, fun read – nothing too deep and we didn’t get too into the characters but if that’s what you’re looking for in a Christmas read than it’s perfect. 🙂  3.5 out of 5

Love Letters from Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball was next.  I read this for The Book Binge and you can read my review here.  It was romance in the book but mostly the book tells about 3 women in their 50’s who run a farm and attempt to put on a society wedding.  Ok, but really not my thing. 3 out of 5

The Darkling Thrush by Josh Lanyon was my next read and a very interesting one.  It’s fantasy with a bit of romance about a man who is a book hunter and is looking for what might be a fictitious book.  Only there are very dark forces at work in the story.  The man ends up with his boss but the boss moved a bit too fast for my liking and declared himself pretty abruptly.  That being said the writing was as wonderful as always and the story incredibly engaging. 4 out of 5

Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips was the book I read for my DIK Challenge read for the month. It was a great way to end the challenge as the book was so good.  You can read my review here. 4.5 out of 5

Skin Heat by Ava Gray was next on the list. Another book read for the Book Binge.  This is book 3 in the Skin series and I really liked it. Zeke was held in the facility in the last book and was set free.  He’s now home  and is not exactly comfortable in his own skin.  He takes a job at the local vet clinic and falls in love with the vet, Neva.  It’s a great story and has a psycho killer in it as well – good stuff.  I’ll let you know when my review posts. 4 out of 5

Instant Temptation by Jill Shalvis was my next read.  This was the story of Harley and TJ who’ve circled each other for year but haven’t exactly been friends.  TJ decides that it’s time to stop the animosity – especially since he has no idea what caused it – and make his move.  I really liked this book. The story was pretty simple but I loved the honesty of the characters.  No subterfuge, no lies, just plain out telling the truth about everything. Wish I could read more of that! lol  4 out of 5

My Tracy’s TBR Challenge for the week was The Reluctant Reformer by Lynsay Sands.  The first part of the book annoyed me – he thought she was a famous prostitute and she thought he’d found out about her writing. The misunderstanding was amusing a bit but not enough to stop the annoying bit.  Now, the second part of the book was almost like a different book.  This was the man taking care of the woman but he can’t keep his hands off her and compromising her constantly.  And there was someone who tries to kill her multiple times. The second part of the book was good – the first, not to my liking.  3.5 out of 5

Last for the week was Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman by Lorraine Heath.  This was the story of a woman who claims to be the mother of a baby and takes the babe to the father’s family – only in the hope that they’ll care for it.  When she finds out the father, Stephen, is alive she’s thrilled as she fancies herself in love with him.  But he has no idea who she is due to amnesia and him losing 2 years of his memory.  It was a pretty darned good book.  I’m not one for all the camouflage in a relationship but this one worked for me. 4.25 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted since last Monday:
No Place to Run by Maya Banks
Love Letters from Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Must Love Kilts by Allie Mackay
How to Marry a Duke by Vicky Dreiling
My Fair Succubi by Jill Myles

Happy Reading!