Where have you been Joe DiMaggio?

I have really been out of the loop since last Friday. My sister was here from Georgia, I had some advanced testing for a job I'm interviewing for and then, of course, Sunday was Mother's Day. Which I have to say doesn't quite seem the same to me since my Mom died, but that's a conversation for another day.

I have done some reading. As I mentioned before my reading has slowed way down. It's more about the great weather and being busy than a reading funk...at least that's what I think today.

I received the two of the books I won over at BOOK BINGE in the mail. Getting a box of books delivered to your front door is just sublime, isn't it? Anyway, I received the first Linda Lael Miller McKettrick book, HIGH COUNTRY BRIDE and the Karen Rose book COUNT TO TEN.

What I've read this past week:

HIGH COUNTRY BRIDE by Linda Lael Miller
This book isn't badly written, but the pacing is slow and I found the H/H too reminescent of the melodrama of junior high school. Would a young woman raised in a brothel not know whether or not she's had sex? If she's sheltered would she get up one day and go sign up to be a mail order bride? Rafe McKettrick supposedly decides to send for a mail order bride in response to his father's announcement that he will give the family ranch to the son who marries first. The characters seemed too far fetched for me to really enjoy this.

BLED DRY by Erin McCarthy
Interestingly enough I don't really like the humorous sort of paranormal. The paranormal books I enjoy most are dark. In fact the darker the better. Which begs the question why I'm reading a book about the headquarters for the Vampire Nation being in Las Vegas and elections of the new vamp president. The story of the election has been drawn out over three books now which was about two books too long. Of the three books BIT THE JACKPOT, HIGH STAKES and BLED DRY, HIGH STAKES is the best of the three. These are lightweight fare and there is nothing new here. Oh, except for the discovery that vampirism is a virus and in BLED DRY a French vampire Corbin Atelier is working on the vaccine to cure the virus. While I've enjoyed a couple of Ms. McCarthy's books. This series really didn't work for me.

FOREVER YOURS by Janmarie Anello
I bought this book because it was a regency and it was priced at $3.99. I figured it was worth the minimal risk to try out a new author. Ms. Anello is a very capable writer. While this book doesn't break any new ground it has some nice moments in it. The back blurb is misleading as the "secret" Sophie Treneham is guarding is not so secret and Jagger Remington does not come across as a man living solely for vengence. These are two lonely and wounded people who are trying to make a life for themselves and make sense of their pasts.

WILD, WICKED, & WANTON by Jaci Burton
I mentioned this book before. It's a fun, hot, squirmy read. Three friends make a bet to jump start their dormant sex lives. Two friends will pick the guy for the third friend to do the mattress mambo. So three friends, three stories. Since I'd read the review at Dear Author I knew what to expect and if you read the book on that level it works.