Yesterday I finished another Jillian Hart book. I love her stuff. She never disappoints. I had read THE SOLDIER’S HOLIDAY VOW. This book is about Mark Hawkins “Hawk” and September Stevens. Hawk is a soldier who wants a family, but not one he leaves behind when he goes off on missions as his career demands it. While September has already lost one true love to war, Tim Granger, her fiancé and Hawk’s best friend since childhood.

In this book both its 2 years since Tim’s death and they are both still healing from it. Both September and Hawk fight their feelings and love for one another, determined to stay just friends in order keep their hearts safe from heartbreak. However their hearts didn’t get the message because both fall for each other, hard. Both learn to let go of the past, their fears and live fully for today.

This was a wonderful book. Ms Hart wrote it in such a way that you felt exactly what her characters were going through. I would definitely recommend this book. You won’t be disappointed, I wasn’t.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas.

In the spirit of Christmas I’d like to recommend a fabulous novella from bestselling erotic romance author Opal Carew. CHRISTMAS ANGEL was released on Christmas Eve and is only $299. If you buy it now through Opal’s website you get a copy of my book in ebook format for FREE (a donation will still be made to the American Breast Cancer Foundation even though you didn’t purchase a copy of DEADLY SECRETS).

Here is a little about CHRISTMAS ANGEL

Nick Berringer’s life is turned upside down when a very sexy angel stumbles into his life – and his bed – to make this the most memorable Christmas of his life.

I picked up a copy of A BRIDE IN THE BARGAIN because I loved the cover. Yep I’m one of those readers where I’m influenced by the cover for new authors. Then as I read the back blurb I realized this Christian Romance was a western romance. Yeah even better! So I picked up a copy and had one more item to claim when I would return home.

A BRIDE IN THE BARGAIN is the story of girls and women going west, in this story Seattle in order to find a husband after the civil war. However a few women bought passage out west to get a better job. This is what Anna Ivey is looking for, a position as a cook for one Joe Denton. While Joe believes he’s bought himself a willing bride.

You see Joe needs a bride to keep half the acres of his business. A single man can only get half of what he has, when he got the property 10 years ago he had been married, but his wife died before she could make the trip west. Now Joe must find a bride in order to keep his land.

Anna finds herself in a pickle because she has no intentions of ever marrying and certainly not without love. So she works for Joe to pay off her debt to him and ends up falling for him against her best intentions. Once they fall in love and Anna finally decides to marry Joe they find out the devastating news that she’s ill. Does Joe love Anna enough to walk way from his land or will his love for this land out weight his feelings for Anna? Can Anna ask him to abandon his dream and all he’s worked for in the last 10 years for her?

I don’t want to say all that much more because it would spoil it for those who are interested in reading the book. I found this book to be worth every penny and minute I spent reading it. I loved it from beginning to the end. I strongly suggest picking up a copy on your next trip to your local bookstore or during your next online book buying spree.

So many female readers are addicted to Vampire romances. No I’m not sure just talking about the Twilighters or twilight fans. If you were to look at what types of paranormal romance books that are out the majority of them feature vampires or the authors version of vampires (such as Hannah Howell’s and Sherrilyn Kenyon’s heroes).

I have to admit I’m not a fan of vampire books whether they are horror or romance ones. I just can’t get over the fact that these heroes are dead and to survive they must feed off humans. To me that is just not romantic.

However I do love Hannah Howell’s version, her heroes aren’t vampires, but they aren’t human either. They are mortal but have a longer life expectancy than us humans. However they aren’t immortal. Also they don’t’ need human blood to survive.

As for Sherrilyn Kenyon series, her dark hunters don’t feed off human or human blood for that matter. However they are immortal and soulless. To be with their soul mates they need to get back their souls.

Then from my publisher you have AB Wallace author of VINTAGE BLOOD AND THE SACRED SCEPTERS, David Lee Summers author of VAMPIRES OF THE SCARLET ORDER and VMK Fewings author of STONE MASTERS. They are all wonderful and different books. So if you are in the mood for a good vampire book pick one of them up.

What I’d like to know from readers is what attracts you to reading vampire based stories? Why do you feel someone sucking your blood to be romantic? I truly would like to know.

I first bought my copy of LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold when it first came out in 2003. I know that is quite a long time to wait to read it. However I don’t think I was ready to read this book until now.

It’s not my usual book, but I have been branching out of what I have been reading for years, romance books. As I started to read this book all I kept thinking was thank goodness Ryan Gosling is no longer playing the role of the father. I’m sorry but I truly don’t’ see him playing the role of the father of a dead 13 year old. Mark Walberg on the hand I could see him play the role to perfection.

This book is about how the family of a young girl name Susie who has been murdered deals with her death. What makes this book truly different? It’s written in the point of view of Susie.

The pace of the story is very slow, yet steady. I’m not used to this type of book, but after a few chapters I truly didn’t care because I was hooked. I like the way Ms Sebold described Susie in between heaven. It came alive for me.

That said I do have one little problem with this book and it has to do with the ending. I truly couldn’t see Susie wanting to have sex after being raped before her death, but apparently the author saw differently. I don’t’ want to say too much because I would be giving away the book for some, but I would say that after seeing how her family struggled with her death that when Susie has a chance to offer them a little more closure she doesn’t. That I found to be disappointing.

Even if I didn’t agree with the ending I would still recommend this book, because it is well written. Now I can’t wait to go and see the movie version and compare it to the book. Stay tuned for my review of it.

Have you ever picked up a book that you simply couldn’t put down? When I first started to read for pleasure years ago that used to happen to me a lot. My life was boring so what the characters did in a book always seemed more interesting than what was going on in my life. Nowadays I don’t have as much time to read and when I do find time I find myself drifting and not getting hooked in the book as much.

Don’t get me wrong I still have my favourite authors who hook but not as much as they used and I’m not finding a lot of new authors that do that. Right now I’m reading THE COWBOY COMES HOME by Roni Adams and I’m hooked. I’m trying to resist grabbing my PDA while I’m at work to read more of the story. I love this feeling I just wished I’d get it more often when I’m reading.

What about you? Are you hooked in the books you are and have been reading?

 had a fabulous reading week while I was sick. I had to stay home because people a petrified to get even a cold. Any way I spent some wonderful hours being bewitched by Annette Blair’s Triplet Witch Trilogy. I can’t determine which one I liked most. They were all unique and fabulous in their own way.

SEX AND THE PSYCHIC WITCH is Harmony’s story. Typical of her name she brings harmony to all the rooms she walks into. This is perfect for King Paxton because he has a dead relative haunting his castle creating havoc and fights among his construction crew. He doesn’t believe the castle is truly haunted until Harmony proves it to him. Mix in King’s long lost teenage daughter – turned teenage mother of a brilliant 2 year old and you have the perfect comedic romance.

True to her name Storm takes over in GONE WITH THE WITCH. She kidnap’s King’s best friend, Aiden, when she keeps  hearing an infant’s cry whenever she’s around him. He thinks she’s crazy, but decides to go along for the ride to prove her wrong. Storm is quite proud to show him the truth, Aiden discovers he has a young daughter he never knew about and Storm meets the mother who abandoned her and sister at birth, but discovers the best surprise of all, a half sister. Aiden, his daughter, Storm and her half sister prove against all odds that family is all about people you truly love.

 Morgan comes face to face with his own destiny and worst fear, Destiny in NEVER BEEN WITCHED. He has a secret he has never told anyone and is even keeping from himself. Destiny is determined to get behind the wall surrounding Morgan and get to know the man she’s attracted to and help a child and young man cross over. Together Morgan and Destiny will face his past, his parents and forge together to deal with the here and now.

If you want to be entertained and have quite a few laughs then pick up copies of all three books. I swear you wont’ regret it.

Have you ever picked up a book that was not in the genre you usually read? Does it take you longer to get into it than usual? I’m reading a book that is more non-fiction than fiction. This is outside my genre comfort zone. I haven’t read a non-fiction for pleasure in a very long time. I am having a hard time getting into the book and not being sarcastic towards it. Yep I’ve had quite a few eye rolling moments.

I won’t go into too much detail because I’ll probably blog about it when I’m finally done. Since the book I’m reading coud be qualified as a biography of sorts I find myself also influence by the writers’ personal life after writing this book. I’m wondering if this is one of the reason I’m truly not enjoying the book as I thought I would.

Has this ever happened to you?

Well I have a new online addiction. No it doesn’t involved looking at those sites. Now get your mind out of the gutter. No the new site I like to look at every day or every other day is The Book Smugglers.  

What is so different about these bloggers? Well I can’t really pin it down, but I have to say that I like the way they review books. It is quite detailed. However I’m not a huge fan of their rating. It reminds me of school grades, not a good thing, for me at least.  What genre of books do they review? Well when I first started to read them they were having a YA feature feast. It caught my interest and I became hooked. Will it replace Smart Bitches Trashy Books or Dear Author? Absolutely no.   If you also want to become addicted click here

Well I finished the latest in the NIGHTKEEPERS series SKYKEEPERS by Jessica Andersen. If I wasn’t already hooked I would be after reading this one.

SKYKEEPERS finds the Nightkeepers deep in trouble and trying to save the rest of us on earth. The story surrounds Sasha and Michael. We’ve all known there was something dark and dangerous about Michael (which made him oh so appealing to us women). Well there is a good reason for that, he isn’t a salesman but a trained killer. He is ashamed of his darker side, which he calls the Other. Sasha discovers that the man she believed to have been her father was actually her uncle. She had been sent away in order to save her life. After years of doubt she embraces her true identity.  Together Michael and Sasha sizzle on each page, but Michael resists temptation because he doesn’t know if he can keep the Other at bay and not hurt Sasha.  

We also get an update on the rest of the Nightkeepers. The couples are still deeply in love. The best part is that we get more of Rabbit (I hope he decides to change his name soon because he deserves something better). He’s in college, still making the wrong choices. He has a strong battle ahead of him but its one I think he can handle.

What I liked most about this book is that Ms Andersen kept Sasha and Michael apart and upped the sexual tension big time. Well she tried to keep them apart, but…. It made for a fabulous read. Like I said in the beginning if I wasn’t already hooked on the series I would be after reading SKYKEEPERS. So it definitely gets a recommended read by this reader.