Archive for &raquo; January, 2009 &laquo;

Oops…I bought two of the same book. So, I’m having a contest!

For more info about Charlotte Hughes and the series: Charlotte Hughes

Jan

I accidentally bought two of the same Desire book last week. I really have trouble remembering which ones I have read/bought, because they all have similar names. So, I’m going to give one away!

This contest is for An Officer and a Millionaire by Maureen Child. To enter, leave a comment and then check back Monday morning to see if you’ve won. Contest will close at midnight on Sunday! U.S. residents only please!

officer-and-a-millionaire

Category: Contest Tags: Contest, man of the month, silhouette desire 9 Comments

Jan

Free Harlequin

Review: Hell on Wheels by Karen Kelley (New Author Challenge)

Harlequin is offering 16 books for download as part of their 60th anniversary celebrations. Here is the link: http://www.harlequincelebrates.com/

This would be a great way to try out a line you haven’t read before. I’m going to try the NASCAR book. I’ve always been curious, but not enough to buy one. Maybe that will change!

Category: Reading Tags: free books, Harlequin Leave a Comment

Jan

hell-on-wheels From the back of the book:

No doubt about it: Cody Carlyle is the hottest bounty hunter around with a well-deserved reputation for bringing in the toughest skips. If she’s learned one motto in this business—and in life—it’s this: never turn your back. Never give an inch. And never, ever offer your heart.

Fellow bounty hunter Josh Pierce has had his eye on Cody’s every luscious curve for quite some time. The hunky ex-undercover cop would love to show her that some things are worth believing in, things like the kind of ecstasy he’d happily show her in bed. Hey, fighting this kind of white-hot attraction is just wrong. So why not give in to a little Josh Pierce temptation? Why not share one amazing, toe-curling night of indescribable, head-scrambling passion and then walk away, no hard feelings? But the night they spend together is beyond amazing. It’s sheer bliss. Not that it could ever happen again. Could it?

What was supposed to be a one-time deal is quickly becoming a very tempting habit—one they could stop at any time, of course. Like after the next time. Or maybe next week—no rush. Suddenly, two bounty hunters who never believed in anything are open to everything, scared of it all, and ready to discover what happens when you go after the biggest catch out there…true love…

I really enjoyed this book. Karen Kelley is another new to me author and I plan on reading the rest of her work. Cody Carlyle is one tough chick. She wants to be taken seriously as a bounty hunter and sacrifices her femininity to achieve her goal. Her one problem is Josh Pierce and her attraction to him. He is a player and she refuses to be his next conquest. Josh has other ideas. These two have incredible chemistry. I was rooting for them to realize their feelings for each other from the beginning. The only thing I didn’t like was how Cody changed so drastically from the beginning of the book. Some change in her character, as she finds love and acceptance, is understandable, but there are times at the end of the story where she is very whiny and girly. It didn’t fit the way she had been written in the beginning.

Where you can find this book:

Review: Really Something by Shirley Jump (new author!)

Barnes and Noble

Category: 2009 New Author Challenge, Contemporary Romance Leave a Comment

Jan

Review:Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

really-something From the back of the book:

GETTING EVEN JUST GOT EVEN BETTER…

They say you can’t go home again-and when home is Tempest, Indiana, “Litter Box Capital of the World,” who’d want to? Not Allie Dean. She couldn’t wait to leave the place that made her feel worthless when she was at her most vulnerable. Seven years later and 170 pounds lighter, Allie’s back, scouting locations for an indy flick. It’s the perfect opportunity to exact the sweet revenge that comes with looking seriously hot. And the guy who broke her heart just happens to have made himself very available…

Duncan Henry isn’t used to being stood up, though the gorgeous blond who just ditched him looks like she does it all the time. Still, Duncan’s determined to win the stranger over, if only to get close to someone with no connection to Tempest. The truth is, Duncan hasn’t had anyone he could really talk to since Allison left. Yeah, there are plenty of things the ex-jock-turned-weatherman would change if he had the chance-and maybe his chance is closer than he thinks…

Now, with Allie getting ready to shoot and Duncan trying to score, somethings gotta give. The question is, who will give in first?

This book was just okay. I really wanted to like it, but it fell short. The idea that even though she had lost 170 lbs, someone who was around Allison Grey a lot wouldn’t recognize her was a little hard to believe. I also didn’t like how Allie was trying to get revenge on all of the people who she felt had mistreated her without knowing anything about what had happened to then in their lives. She was a little self absorbed.This was a new author for me and I liked her writing style, but not the story. I am planing on reading another book by Shirley Jump and hopefully will enjoy it more than I did this one!

Here’s where you can find this book:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

More about Shirley Jump and the books she has written: Shirley Jump

Category: 2009 New Author Challenge, Contemporary Romance Tags: New Author Challenge, Really Something, Shirley Jump Leave a Comment

Jan

vampire-academy From the back of the book:

Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies…

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Stigoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires - the ones who never die.

The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa’s best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.

After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir’s Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampire education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking Academy hearts.

Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir’s - inside the Academy’s iron gates, their world is even more fraught with danger. Here, the cutthroat ranks of the moroi perform unspeakable rituals, and their secretive nature and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever…

Vampire Academy is the first book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. It is a young adult book, but I think any age group would enjoy it. It has been compared to Twilight, but I found it much more universal than those books. A lot of Twilight felt very high school, while Vampire Academy is more grown up (but the characters do have some “high school” moments. Lissa and Rose share a connection that allows Rose to know how Lissa is feeling, but not for Lissa to feel Rose. I love the character of Rose. She is very upfront and in your face. She doesn’t sit by meekly or deal well with authority. She feels that she knows what’s best for Lissa, no matter what any of the adults say. Their relationship is very complex. The other complex relationship for Rose is her relationship with Lissa’s guardian, Dimitri. There is an attraction between them, that neither can let themselves feel. This book really sets up the rest of the series. I can’t wait to read the other books, Frostbite and Shadow Kiss.

Order Vampire Academy:

Visit Richelle Mead’s Website: http://www.richellemead.com/

Category: YA Tags: Richelle Mead, vampire, Vampire Academy Leave a Comment

Jan

Contest Winners!

Review: Ravenous by Sharon Ashwood

Sorry I didn’t get this posted yesterday. I have a sick little one and had to go to the doctor. Plus, we were hit by an ice storm and everything took 20 times longer than it should have. Anyway, here are the winners:

Tiffany Schumacher

CrystalGB

Rachel D Thompson

Email me at carrie@thebookgirl.net with your mailing address and you top two choices for the prizes. I will try to get everyone which books they want (if I can).

The prizes are listed here: Contest!

Category: Contest Tags: contest winners One Comment

Jan

ravenous From the back of the book:

One kiss is all it takes to lose your soul…

Holly Carver is a small-time witch who busts ghosts for tuition money, but she ends up wrangling a demon when a haunted house job goes bad. Her Undead business associate, Alessandro Caravelli, suspects the demon is somebody’s not-so-secret weapon. The supernatural community is at war, and Holly’s unpredictable magic holds the key to the doorway to the demon realms. Soon Holly is on everyone’s must-have list, and not in a good way.

Alessandro wants Holly for more than magic. A lover with six centuries of experience, the vampire is walking seduction, but he’s also a predator. Every moment he spends guarding Holly, every second he spends falling under her witch’s spell, he becomes more and more of a threat himself. As Holly’s grandma says, vampires are like a box of chocolates: They seem tempting, but overindulgence can be a killer…

This is the first book in The Dark Forgotten series. I loved it. It is funny, spooky, and sexy at the same time. Holly Carver is a witch who likes to deal in small-m magic and stays away from the big-M magic, which causes her pain. Alessandro Caravelli is, to me, a mix between Eric from the Southern Vampire books and Jean Claude from the Anita Blake books. He is sexy, old-fashioned, and really just wants to be loved as a man and not a vampire. Holly and Alessandro have amazing chemistry, but both know it is smarter to stay apart.

The universe in Ravenous is interesting. The supernaturals have come out and the world acknowledges them, but doesn’t accept them as a whole. They are treated as equals under the law, but the public seems to be waiting for them to make a mistake. The vampires have a queen that oversees a territory, and warriors who do her bidding. In Ravenous, Alessandro is a warrior for Queen Omara.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

Ravenous’ publication date is February 3rd.

Pre-order at these sites:

Read more about The Dark Forgotten: Sharon Ashwood’s website

Category: 2009 New Author Challenge, Paranormal Romance Tags: Ravenous, Sharon Ashwood, vampires, witches 7 Comments

Jan

Contest!!

Review: Desire For Three by Leah Brooke (New Author)

My very first contest post of 2009!! This contest is for books already offered, that weren’t claimed. I can’t go back and pick someone who entered the first time, since I lost all of the old post, so I’m just going to do a new contest. There will be three winners.

Winner #1 will get:

The Frog Prince by Jane Porter
Flirting with Forty by Jane Porter

Winner #2 will get:

Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter
Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter

Winner #3 will get:

Grit for the Oyster - 250 peals of wisdom for aspiring writers
La Vida Vampire by Nancy Haddock

To enter just leave a comment on this post. The contest will be open until Sunday (1/25) 12:00pm. Winners will be announced on Monday (1/26). Contest open to continental U.S. only

Category: Contest Tags: Contest 10 Comments

Jan

desire-for-three From the back of the book:

With her fortieth birthday approaching and a bad marriage behind her, Jessica Tyler wants a fresh start. Marriage left her an emotionless shell and she vows never to get involved with a man again. Giving in to her sister, Jesse agrees to visit her in Desire, Oklahoma.

But Desire is a small town unlike any other. Dom/sub and menage relationships are the norm in a town where ranchers and cowboys adore and protest their women in ways that leave Jesse…fascinated. She’s first intrigued, then alarmed when two gorgeous over-protective brothers, Clay and Rio Erickson, rush to claim her for their own.

Yanked from her protective shell, threatened by her ex, Jesse is determined to stay strong, even as her two formidable lovers are intent on possessing her.

Will her independence be smothered or will love give her the strength to change all three of their lives forever?

This book is an erotic romance with a M/F/M menage a trois romance and some Dom/Sub sex. It is all of that, but at the heart of the book is a woman trying to overcome and abusive past and the men who just want to love her. There is a lot of sex and most, if not all, of it is explicit, but I was moved by the Jessica’s story. After her ex-husband mistreated her to the point she felt nothing, except for her son Alex, Jesse is finally able to feel something with Rio and Clay. I will admit that this book was outside of my comfort zone, but I still loved the story. There is a perfect set-up for the next book in the series where the focus is on Jesse’s friend Kelly. I will definitely be reading the rest of the Desire, Oklahoma series.

Find this book here: