January Reading List

Here it is. Finally. You'd think with as few entries as I have that it wouldn't have been such a trial getting this done closer to the end of January. However, I had a stack of books I'd finished on a shelf next to my bed. Turns out there were some books for my tbr in there as well along with some December reads I hadn't put away. How this happened I don't know. I have a procedure damn it! Read the book, log the book, put the book away. Mixing book piles just isn't supposed to happen. *sigh* Things like this are what make me feel like I'm in a fog sometimes.

I know I read another (maybe two even) ebooks that I've had for awhile, but I looked at my ebook files and can't remember what they were besides the Jory Strong book listed. They didn't leave much of an impression so I guess...no harm, no foul.

THE EXECUTIVE'S SURPRISE BABY by Catherine Mann. This is part of the Garrison Family series. It is also a return to category romance for me after a long dry spell. The title says it all. This wasn't horrible, but I have to admit I did some eye rolling. Lori of Let's Gab has rec'd Ms. Mann's SEAL books and I have a couple of those in my tbr. I didn't hate this, so I'm still going to give the SEAL books a try.

SHADES OF TWILIGHT by Linda Howard. What can I say that you haven't already heard? I really like this book. I love the multi-generations in the book. I understand selflessness and devotion to family. I hadn't read it for a couple of years and thoroughly enjoyed the re-read.

SPLIT by Kristina Lloyd. This is a Black Lace title and I gave Ms. Lloyd a try because Bam had raved about a couple of her other books. I have to say I didn't really like this or "get it". I hate when I feel like a writer is being deliberately clever to see if we are all bright enough to get her point. I felt annoyed and impatient with the heroine. I couldn't believe how deliberately obtuse she was and how long it took her to catch on to what was happening to her.

MOVING TARGET by Cheyenne McCray. This is a book I really wanted to like. The best I can say is that it was okay. I didn't hate it. When the heroine who is in Witness Protection makes a phone call as herself to someone in her past early on in the book I knew the story was in hot water. If you are so terrorized and terrified for your life that you leave everything behind why would you do something like that? I didn't buy the reasoning we were given. People died as a result of her "mistake". I think that the reader (and the characters) should have had more of an emotional impact and reaction to the events that followed the phone call. Bummer.

EMBER by Bettie Sharpe. Lots of people out in blogland were raving about this free serial by Bettie Sharpe that was posted by chapter over several weeks on Bam's blog. I waited until it was complete before I read it. This is an imaginative re-telling and explanation of the Cinderella story. Hence the 'ember' rather than the 'cinder'. I have to confess that I'm not much for mixing fairy tales and romance. While I can acknowledge Ms. Sharpe's writing talent and clever twisting of this tale, it just wasn't my cuppa. Another okay read for me.

CALISTA'S MEN by Jory Strong. This is an ebook from Ellora's Cave I've had forever. I read it when I first bought it. I liked it a lot the first time I read it. It's an erotic read about a shy kindergarten teacher who tries her hand at being a PI, meets two brothers and falls in love with both of them. Murder, mystery, and menage ensue. Fun read if you are in the mood for something steamy. Ms. Strong does fairly well making emotional connections that help the reader connect to the story, but don't go looking for reality here.

MINE TO POSSESS by Nalini Singh. I'm just tossing my hat in the ring with everyone else. I love reading a book that hits all the right notes. As you move through Ms. Singh's story she answers question and expands her Psy-Changeling world before the reader is aware that you wanted or needed that bit of information. Can series writing just get better and better? Yes! I love this world. I'm still intrigued and interested and can't wait for the next book. That's the best endorsement I can give any series.

DEMON NIGHT by Meljean Brook. Complex and compelling were the two words that popped into my head when I finished this book. I have a confession to make. I didn't know I was starving for something like this until I read DEMON ANGEL. I can't remember when I've gone back and re-read portions of a book before I've finished it. Every time I read a book in this series I find myself daydreaming and wondering about the possibilities of this world. I do a lot of "what if..." As with Ms. Singh's books I care about the people and they certainly seem very real to me.

So that's it. Unbelievably, only 8 books in January. At this rate I won't even hit 100 this year. But you know what? That's okay. Since my reading time has been so curtailed I'm really making an effort to read stuff I really care about and allow myself to enjoy re-reading something if I want to.