Read and Reading

Raise those arms and steeeeerrrrreeeeetch! Feels good, no? Yeah I'm stretched out, relaxed from lap swimming and all caught up on my blog hopping. I feel so balanced and happy because I'm reading every day again. Right now I'm reading Jo Goodman's IF HIS KISS IS WICKED. Only 50 pages in and I'm hooked pretty good.

I have, however, surrendered to the fact that I now read more than one book at a time. It's snuck up on me little by little. GG just asked me the other night if this was the 3rd or 4th book I was partially through. He thinks I've put the books down because I didn't like them. Au contraire! I just see another book in my TBR and like a toddler with a short attention span pick it up and start reading.

Although I did read CARESSED BY ICE straight through. As previously mentioned that is one rockin' good book. Anyway I thought I'd do a quickie review of the other books I read over the Labor Day weekend and the books I'm currently reading.

MY IMMORTAL by Erin McCarthy. This is nothing like any of her other books. Damien du Bourg is in service to a demon for his "gift" of immortality. Marley Turner comes to New Orleans looking for her sister. This isn't one of her humorous tongue in cheek books. Straight up dark paranormal. I liked it very much and hope she keeps writing in this vein. As I've noted previously in reviews, I like when the characters are struggling with internal issues that make me examine moral issues in my own life. Good solid read.

DARK POSSESSION by Christine Feehan. Yes I bought it. Hardcover no less. I have to say this branch of the Carpathians who live in the rain forest are a bit intriguing to me. Ms Feehan certainly has pushed my curiousity buttons about the eldest of the DelaCruz brothers, Zacarias. This is the second eldest, Manolito's story. No real new ground broken here just another chapter and entry into the saga. At the very least this is a much better installment than the horrendous and plotless DARK CELEBRATION.

THE PRICE OF DESIRE by Leda Swann. Someone somewhere in the blogosphere mentioned liking Ms. Swann's erotic novels. So I gave this one a whirl. This was a very well done version of formerly wealthy young lady having only one thing to barter to keep she and her four siblings from starvation. No trite story here. Elements of realism, sorrow and heartbreak that go with leaving your respectability behind make this a cut above other books of this type. I will definitely be looking for other books by Ms. Swann.

FOR HER PLEASURE by Maya Banks. I'd read a couple of Ms. Banks ebooks. One I liked and one I didn't. While in reality this is one book it's broken into three parts almost giving it an anthology feel to it. This is a spicy read and I have mixed emotions about it. Some of it was very good and some of it not so much. Not a lot of depth here. What you see is what you get. If you are looking for a sexy romp with a bit of plot this is the book for you.

Here's the books I've started and haven't finished yet:

TANGLED UP IN YOU by Rachel Gibson

BREATHLESS by Laura Lee Guhrke

THE SERPENT PRINCE by Elizabeth Hoyt

THE DEVIL MAY CRY by Sherrilyn Kenyon

I don't have any particular problems with these books. In fact I was enjoying both BREATHLESS and THE SERPENT PRINCE but I just got distracted by another new shiny book. I've never had so many books started and in limbo before. New experience for me. I'm hoping to catch up and finish them over the next week. Then I'm feeling a hankering for some westerns coming on. I'll have to crack open my tub and see what I've got languishing for me to read. Seriously? I can hardly wait.

Just Because there are No Reviews

Doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading. I’ve made comments around the blogospere about some of the books, but nothing has inspired me too much. So I’m going to do one of my lazy blogs with a few books. Famous last words…

SEDUCED BY MAGIC by Cheyenne McCray. I liked the first book Forbidden Magic, but I just never really got into this one. I was about half way through it when I just quit reading. Neither Copper Ashcroft the missing witch (and sister to Silver who stars in Forbidden Magic) nor her hero Tiernan “a powerful Tuatha D’Danann warrior” were very interesting to me. Because I liked the first book though I’m hanging onto it for now and will try it again later. Maybe this was just a frame of mind problem rather than *ahem* boring and uninteresting characters.

I'M IN NO MOOD FOR LOVE by Rachel Gibson. Maybe I had too high of expectations. But really, I don’t believe I expect an author to hit every book out of the park, but this was pretty much torture for me. I gave it more than half the book, but don’t anticipate trying to re-read it. Both of these characters seem TSTL and made no sense to me.

THE STOLEN BRIDE by Brenda Joyce. Okay, since I haven’t read a Brenda Joyce book in forever I admit I bought this book completely based on the title. I was intrigued. It is Brenda Joyce at her historical best. And for those of you who don’t like kidnap type stories the “bride” pretty much kidnaps herself. Sean O’Neill is a tortured hero and while it was close enough to be “alright enough already” Ms. Joyce does cut a fine line and succeeds. We know Eleanor de Warenne won’t abandon him. I liked it!

PLAYED by Barbara Freethy. This was another book I was looking forward to, FBI agent J.T. McIntyre’s story. PLAYED is a contemporary set in San Francisco as are many of (all?) Ms. Freethy's books. Since I’ve been in SF several times I enjoy reading about the background in her books because it's a place I'm familiar with and she does a great job giving you a flavor of the fab city.

While Ms. Freethy’s books are stand alones this book is related to TAKEN in that the villain Evan Chadwick continues his diabolically clever manipulation of people in this book. While I didn’t like this book as well as others of hers I’ve read, it’s a good solid read with interesting characters and a stolen diamond necklace.