Monthly Archives: February 2017

February 27, 2017 · 1:38 am

Quote-tastic Monday: Wolf with Benefits by Shelly Laurenston

“Quote-Tastic Monday” is a meme hosted every Monday on Herding Cats & Burning Soup.  Head on over there to see quote-tastic final with green borderwhat everyone else is posting about this week.

I always think of book reviews posts as focusing on new books or books that are soon to be published.  Since I am in a re-reading phase, that is not happening for me right now.  Of course, I can always tell myself that I am introducing readers to new-to-them books/series and alleviate the guilt of not writing about new books.

Hey, I’m easy to convince of things that go along with what I want any day.

So, Shelly Laurenston is one of my all time favorite authors.  I particularly love the Pride series of which this is book eight.  I have reviewed it before and gave it a well-deserved five stars.  This post is simply to highlight a couple of my favorite passages.

Reece is not a main character in this book, but the younger brother of Ricky Lee, the male lead.  He is the really goofy one of the group.

And when Reece was a bit uncomfortable, he started looking for things to do.  Things he probably shouldn’t do but couldn’t keep himself from doing because he bored so easy.

It wasn’t his fault, he’d just been born that way.  According to his momma, he was like that as a baby, too.  “Couldn’t leave you alone for five minutes, Reece Lee Reed,” his momma still said to this day.  “Because once I turned my back, you’d find something to get your dumb ass into.”

Ricky and Toni are talking about the fact that her father can’t handle the fact that his jackal daughter has fallen for a wolf . . . a hillbilly wolf no less.  Ricky is not sure that Toni has really fallen for him . . .

When she pulled back a bit, Ricky softly asked, “You sure about that?  The falling, I mean.  Because I can’t really tell.”

“Because you’re male and all of you are hopelessly stupid.”  She smiled at him and went back to the stove.

This is one of the funniest books in the series and that is saying something.  If you are ever down and need something to cheer you up, I cannot recommend this series enough.  You will laugh out loud, and I’m not just LOLing!  I have two series that I grab when I don’t know what I want to read or I really need something to get me out of a slump.  Jayne Ann Krentz’ dustbunny books is one and this series is the other.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

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February 20, 2017 · 7:10 pm

Quote-tastic Monday: All You Need is Love by Marie Force

all-you-need-is-loveI read this book because a later one in the series was recommended to me.  Because I am compulsive about reading series in order, I, of course, had to read the first one first.  And I have mixed feelings.  Let me say before I start, I am in a reading slump.  I have four books going at once and I don’t want to read any of them.  This is not a good time to start a new author.

Anyway, the book was good.  It’s a straight, contemporary romance with really likable characters.  And that is what has me hooked.  I love everybody in this book.  There are ten adult children, their parents, and a grandfather.  And I love them all.  I never intended to start a new series, not really.  I am so behind in my reading as it is, but these people are great.  I want to meet them and be friends with them.

See what I mean about mixed feelings.  The story is good, not outstanding, but good.  It is the characters that make this book.  I can’t seem to stop gushing about how wonderful they are and that’s why you should give it a try.

And because the whole point of this post is that it is Quote-tastic Monday, here are some of my favorite lines.

“You weren’t very nice to him,” Cameron said.  “I don’t have to be.  He’s my brother.”

I have a brother.  That makes perfect sense to me.

“You were right.”

“I thought women weren’t wired to say those words to a man.”

“It certainly doesn’t come naturally to us, but it’s the truth in this case.”

It happens, not often, but it happens.  I try not to say them in front of witnesses.

Anyway, even though I originally read the book just to ready for whichever one was recommended, I had decided not to bother.  By the end of the book, I knew I couldn’t abandon these characters.  I have to know they all get a happily ever after.  So, here goes another series.

“Quote-Tastic Monday” is a meme hosted every Monday on Herding Cats & Burning Soup.  Head on over there to see quote-tastic final with green borderwhat everyone else is posting about this week.

 

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February 13, 2017 · 10:59 am

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1) by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden, #1
Pages: 485
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Date: April 24, 2012

Summary:

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for… again.

Review:

This is my first Julie Kagawa book, but it won’t be my last. I have gotten tired of the entire Young Adult vampire genre and delayed reading this book for years. I thought to myself, been there, done that.

I was so wrong.

Kagawa brings an entirely different plot to the many, many vampire books that have saturated the market. Is there a romance? Yes, but barely and it certainly isn’t the focus of the book. Are there vampires? Yes, of course, but although she has kept many of the standard vampire themes, the world itself is completely different.

No, I’m not going to tell you how. Spoilers are not your friend. You really will have to read it for yourself.

I will share one passage that I got a kick out of. It’s almost a throwaway part, but because I know the traditional vampire tropes, it struck me as funny.

“At one point, I stepped in something soft like mud, and looked up to see the ceiling crawling with what looked like hundreds of winged mice. I didn’t mention this to Zeke as we hurried forward, though for some bizarre reason I felt a strange kinship with the tiny grotesque creatures.”

And no, she can’t turn into a bat and fly away . . . at least not in this book.

I am a high school librarian and I really only read this book so I could discuss it with my students. I never intended to read the sequels. Well, I am now. I have to know what happens to Zeke, Ally, and the rest of the characters. Some of them I want to be sure survive and others I want to make sure DIE!

I am so glad the next two books are already published. I would hate to have to wait to find out.

This book was sent to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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February 13, 2017 · 1:57 am

Quote-tastic Monday: Echoes in Death by J. D. Robb

in-deathI don’t read a lot of Nora Roberts, but I love her J. D. Robb “in Death” series.  I have all of the books and there are over forty of them.  They’re futuristic, murder mysteries, and some of the best romance I have read.  Roarke is to die for . . . pun intended . . . and Eve is one of the strongest, most human, female characters I know.

Anyway, the books are just good.  That sounds like faint praise, but really, it’s not.  There’s a reason they’re still going on after forty books and it’s because they’re so good.

Because these are murder mysteries, they are intense.  The dialogue can definitely give the reader a chance to breathe because it lightens things up.  In this excerpt, Roarke is telling Eve about the first wife of one of the victims.  This woman had moved to Australia after the divorce.

Roarke —

” . . . she used to purchase a sheep station in Porongurup — that’s Australia.”

Eve —

“Why do sheep need a station?  Are they catching trains?  Where are they going?  Why do they have to go there?”

Roarke —

“I imagine they find themselves herded onto trains from time to time, but a sheep station’s a ranch.”

Eve —

“They why do they call it a station?”

Roarke —

“Blame the Aussies.  In any case,” he continued before she could take him further into the weeds, . . .

I love Eve’s literal take on things.

Later on, Roarke is trying to get Eve to take a break and she refuses.

“A pick-me-up then.  Milk and cookies.”

“I’m not drinking milk.  Do you know where it comes from?”  The idea made her shudder.

“As does the cheese on the pizza you’re so fond of.”

“Entirely different. . . .”

And her logical illogic.

“Quote-Tastic Monday” is a meme hosted every Monday on Herding Cats & Burning Soup.  Head on over there to see quote-tastic final with green borderwhat everyone else is posting about this week.

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February 6, 2017 · 11:03 am

Giving In (Surrender, #2) by Maya Banks

giving-in

Title: Giving In
Author: Maya Banks
Series: Surrender, #2
Pages: 320
Publisher: Penguin Group
Date: May 6, 2014

 

Summary:

Kylie sees the way Jensen looks at her. The dark promise in his eyes. That rough edge of dominance she knows he possesses. But dominance is the one thing that frightens her above all else. She and her brother barely survived a childhood steeped in violence and abuse. She could never give up total control and submit to a man. Especially a man like Jensen. Could she?

Jensen sees the shadows in Kylie’s eyes. Knows he has to tread very carefully or risk losing any chance he has with her. All he wants is the opportunity to show her that dominance doesn’t equal pain, bondage or discipline. That emotional surrender is the most powerful of all, and that to submit—fully to him—will fulfill the aching void in her heart in a way nothing else ever will.

Review:

I thought I would like this book better than I did. I read it when it was first released and had so-so feelings about it. I still gave it four stars, but I thought Jensen was just too good to be true. He was just too noble and in touch with what Kylie needed. Perfection is unnerving, don’t you think?

Anyway, I re-read it a few days ago, so I could give it the review it needs. My opinion didn’t change. If anything, Jensen annoyed me even more this time around than he did originally. The only time he reacted as a human was when

SPOILER ALERT!

 

 

 

he had a nightmare and hurt Kylie. Even then, he was giving up what he wanted most in the world to protect her.

Of course, it all works out in the end and my opinion did not make me dislike the book. I think it was saved by Kylie. If ever there was someone who let her emotions, especially the hidden ones, affect her relationships with everyone around her, it was Kylie. I actually liked her the most because she seemed the most real.

Read this book, but read Letting Go first. This trilogy is tightly knit and you don’t want to miss out on anything. There are any number of great lines, so I’ll share a few.

“Some things are inevitable, Kylie. You and I are inevitable. No matter how much you fight it. No matter how much you deny it. We are inevitable.”

Yes, it’s sappy, but it is sweet.

Kylie, Joss, and Chessy are best friends with really distinct personalities. Joss and Chessy know Kylie is keeping something from them and she is determined to find out what.

Without Joss, the peacemaker, as a buffer, Chessy would latch onto Kylie’s ass and wouldn’t be able to be pried loose with a crowbar.

And regardless of how I feel about sappy, this is an absolutely wonderful description of Kylie’s and Jensen’s relationship.

But she didn’t want to exist without him and therein lay the truth. Loving him, leaning on him, didn’t mean she was helpless or hopelessly dependent on him. It just meant she was better with him.

This book was sent to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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February 6, 2017 · 9:47 am

Quote-tastic Monday: Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis

accidentally-on-purposeI wanted to read this book as soon as it was released, but I was in the middle of another series (one of which I need to review as well) and I just couldn’t get to it FOR ALMOST A WEEK!  I mean really, I had to wait a week to read the new Jill Shalvis book.  That’s cruel and unusual punishment.  And, like normal, I was laughing out loud from the first page.  My poor husband . . . I kept interrupting his reading to make him listen to passages.

So without any further buildup, here are a few of my favorite quotes.  And no, I didn’t include the one from the first page.

“It’s just tea, you weirdo. And I could totally survive without it if I needed to.” She paused. “I just can’t guarantee anyone else’s safety.”

Personally, I love my tea, but I don’t feel I am a danger to anyone else without it.  Don’t get between me and my Diet Coke however.

“Okay,” Max piped up. “I have a girlfriend now so I know this one. When Rory says ‘wow’ like that, it’s not a compliment. It means she’s thinking long and hard on how and when I’ll pay for my stupidity.”

Another word that men need to look out for is “fine.”  When a woman says fine in the middle of an argument, it’s never really fine and she certainly isn’t agreeing with anyone.

He snorted. “Elle, you’re always right. It’s your world and we all just live in it.”

Love it!  Love it!  Love it!

Read this book!  Read it now!  Don’t wait like I did.  It deserves your immediate consumption.

“Quote-Tastic Monday” is a meme hosted every Monday on Herding Cats & Burning Soup.  Head on over there to see what everyone else is posting about this week.

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