Category Archives: Contemporary

February 19, 2011 · 4:09 am

Go Fetch! (Magnus Pack, #2) by Shelly Laurenston

How much trouble can one small female be to a modern-day shapeshifting Viking? Well, it really depends on local gun laws. Conall Vga-Feilan, direct descendent of Viking shifters, never thought he’d meet a female strong enough to be his mate. He especially didn’t think a short, viper-tongued human would ever fit the bill. But Miki Kendrick isn’t some average human. With an IQ off the charts and a special skill with weapons of all kinds, Miki brings the big blond pooch to his knees-and keeps him there. Miki’s way too smart to ever believe in love and she knows a guy like Conall could only want one thing from her. But with the Pack’s enemies on her tail and a few days stuck alone with the one man who makes her absolutely wild, Miki is about to discover how persistent one Viking wolf can be. (from Goodreads)

I have read these books so many times, I think the words have faded on the page.  When I first read this series, I thought it was pretty good, but not wonderful.  Now, Shelly Laurenston is one of my all time favorite authors.  I just read them over and over again.

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Filed under Contemporary, Erotica, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

February 18, 2011 · 4:13 am

Pack Challenge (Magnus Pack, #1) by Shelly Laurenston

What’s an Alpha Male to do when he meets the Alpha Female of his dreams? Step one, hide all sharp objects. All Zach Sheridan ever wanted was to become Alpha Male of his Pack and be left alone. What he definitely didn’t need in his life was some needy female demanding his attention. What he never saw coming was the vicious, scarred female who not only demanded his attention but knew exactly how to get it. Sara Morrighan knew this was the best she could expect from her life. Good friends. A nice place to live. And a safe job. But when Zach rode into her small Texas town with his motorcycle club, Sara knew she wanted more. She knew she wanted him. But after one sexy encounter with her dream biker, everything is starting to change. Her body. Her strength. That new thing she’s doing with the snarling. Even her best friends are starting to wonder what’s going on with her. But this is only the beginning. Sara’s about to find out her life was meant for so much more. And Zach’s about to find true love with the one woman who makes him absolutely insane. (from Goodreads)

I had not re-read this book in awhile and did not realize Sara shows up in another series.  She is even more out of control then.  When even the other shape shifters are scared of you, it really says something.

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Filed under Contemporary, Erotica, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

February 12, 2011 · 4:35 am

Broken (Rafferty, #2) by Shiloh Walker

Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter for a private detective agency in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He’s drawn to her-but he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else.

Sarah McElyea is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She has a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can’t risk telling him the secrets she’s hiding.

But Quinn must get closer to Sarah when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and both Quinn and Sarah will have to expose their true feelings-as well as their fragile hearts-if their love is to survive. (from Goodreads)

This book is the sequel to Fragile.  I am so glad I waited until both books were released because Quinn’s story needed telling.  I would have hated to have to wait months to read it.

I think Shiloh Walker is going to have to go back on my “always read” list.

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Filed under Contemporary, Erotica, Romance

February 12, 2011 · 4:30 am

Fragile (Rafferty, #1) by Shiloh Walker

Six years after trading in his combat gear for hospital scrubs, Luke Rafferty is faced with things just as heartbreaking as those on the battlefield. The abused children being brought in by the pretty redheaded social worker tug at his soul like nothing he’s ever known.

For Devon Manning, being a social worker is a rewarding job, but also a constant reminder of her own troubled youth. Devon takes everything one day at a time-unable to form a relationship with anyone except the children she rescues.

When Luke meets Devon, he thinks he might have found what he’s been looking for, but in order to get the life he wants, Luke has to break through Devon’s emotional barriers and make her realize that his healing touch might be just the complication her life needs… (from Goodreads)

I did not read this book when it was originally released because I felt the subject matter would be too depressing.  Although I like Shiloh Walker, I decided to give it a miss.  However, when its sequel came out my interest was renewed.  I am so glad I read this one and I am even more glad I waited.  The two books really need to be read back-to-back.

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Filed under Contemporary, Erotica, Mystery, Realistic, Romance

January 17, 2011 · 6:10 pm

Changeling (Sisters of the Moon, #2) by Yasmine Galenorn

“The first in an engrossing new series, [Witchling was] a whimsical reminder of fantasy’s importance in life” (Publishers Weekly). Now comes Changeling-again featuring Camille, the good witch, Menolly, the vampire, and Delilah, a feline shapeshifter. They’re the D’Artigo sisters, half-human, half-Faerie supernatural agents who are now enlisted to find the fiends responsible for slaughtering the weres of Rainier Puma Pride.

re-read 1/17

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January 10, 2011 · 3:35 pm

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

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It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend. (from Goodreads)

Okay, I don’t normally read much contemporary, realistic fiction.  I especially don’t read it in the YA area because they tend to be depressing.  At least that’s what I’ve always thought.

I obviously need to expand my horizons.

I read Along for the Ride because it is one of last years Teens Top Ten nominees and I am still trying to catch up on those.  I am not sure why I bother because the new nominees will be out in a few months (April 14, 2011, to be exact.)  Anyway, it did make the top ten list.

I am so glad I gave this one a shot.

The book takes place during the summer between high school graduation and whatever comes after . . . college, work, or “chicken salad.”  Read the book.  You’ll understand.

Cross posted to Irwin County Students READ!

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Filed under Contemporary, Realistic, Romance, Young Adult

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January 9, 2011 · 6:01 pm

Ruthless Game (GhostWalker, #9) by Christine Feehan

GhostWalker Kane Cannon’s mission plunges him into a hot zone more personal than he anticipated: the hiding place of Rose Patterson-hunted fugitive, ex-lover, and a fellow GhostWalker desperate to save the life of her unborn child. Kane’s Child.

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Filed under Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance

January 5, 2011 · 5:50 pm

Mane Squeeze (Pride, #4) by Shelly Laurenston

Growing up on the tough Philly streets, Gwen O’Neill has learned how to fend for herself. But what is she supposed to do with a nice, suburban Jersey boy in the form of a massive Grizzly shifter? Especially one with a rather unhealthy fetish for honey, moose, and . . . uh . . . well, her. Yet despite his menacing ursine growl and four-inch claws, Gwen finds Lachlan “Lock” MacRyrie cute and really sweet. He actually watches out for her, protects her, and unlike the rest of her out-of-control family manages not to morbidly embarrass her. Too bad cats don’t believe in forever.
At nearly seven feet tall, Lock is used to people responding to him in two ways: screaming and running away. Gwen-half lioness, half tigress, all kick-ass-does neither. She’s sexy beyond belief and smart as hell, but she’s a born protector. Watching out for the family and friends closest to her but missing the fact that she’s being stalked by a murderous enemy who doesn’t like hybrids . . . and absolutely hates Gwen. Lock probably shouldn’t get involved, but he will. Why? Because this is Gwen-and no matter what the hissing, roaring, drape destroying feline says about not being ready to settle down, Lock knows he can’t simply walk away. Not when she’s come to mean absolutely everything to him.

A re-read for the umpteenth time.  It never gets old.  I absolutely adore Lock.

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Filed under Contemporary, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

January 3, 2011 · 5:39 pm

In Too Deep (Looking Glass, #1; Arcane Society, #10) by Jayne Ann Krentz

Scargill Cove is the perfect place for Fallon Jones, confirmed recluse and investigator of the paranormal. It’s a hot spot, a convergence point for unusually strong currents of energy, which might explain why the town attracts misfits and drifters like moths to a flame. Now someone else has been drawn to the Cove-Isabella Valdez, on the run from some very dangerous men.

When she starts work as Fallon’s assistant, Isabella impresses him by organizing his pathologically chaotic office-and doesn’t bat an eye at the psychic aspect of his job. She’s a kindred spirit, a sanctuary from a world that considers his talents a form of madness. But after a routine case unearths an antique clock infused with dark energy, Fallon and Isabella are dragged into the secret history of Scargill Cove and forced to fight for their lives, as they unravel a cutthroat conspiracy with roots in the Jones family business . . . and Isabella’s family tree. 

I have said again and again, JAK under any name cannot write a bad book.  This one is no exception.

I have been waiting for Fallon’s book forever and Isabella is the perfect mate for him.  She sees more conspiracies than he does.

I don’t understand though, why JAK writes these trilogies in the order she does.  Present day, historical, then futuristic.  It just doesn’t make sense to me.

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January 1, 2011 · 7:02 pm

Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, #6) by Richelle Mead

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Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules.

She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back… and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your life is about saving others, who will save you? (from Goodreads)

This is the final book in the Vampire Academy series and it does an excellent job of tying up lose ends.  I am very glad to know there will be a spin off series however because I am nowhere near ready to give up this world.  The first book is titled Bloodlines and will be released August 23, 2011.

The last book ended with the murder of the queen and Rose’s arrest.  This book centers around Rose’s escape with the help of her friends and their attempt to discover the real murderer.  Of course, there are several subplots as well, the most important of which is the love triangle between Rose, Dimitri, and Adrian.  Just like the Hunger Games series, there cannot be a happy ending for everyone.

There were a number of surprising revelations in the last few chapters, but the book did not seem rushed.  I would like to go back and re-read the other books in the series to see if there were any clues foreshadowing some of the things that came to light.

I was totally shocked at the identity of the murderer, but I shouldn’t have been.  The motive was there, I just didn’t see it.

All in all, an excellent ending to the series.

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Filed under Contemporary, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

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