And the Winner is...

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

Anita

Barbara

Colleen

Waiting on Wednesday: Volume 1 Issue 18

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. It is showcases upcoming releases of books that I'm looking forward to. It is somewhat similar to one of my previous posts, Anxiously Awaiting.


Title: In Too Deep

Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Release Date: December 28, 2010

Jayne Ann Krentz follows up her highly successful Dreamlight Trilogy- written in collaboration with her two alter egos, Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle-with a brand-new story arc that begins in a secluded coastal town in northern California.

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.

Review: Texas Tangle by Leah Braemel

Title: Texas Tangle 
Published: June 28, 2010
Publisher: Carina Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Kindle
Genre: Erotica/Menage
Characters: Nikki Kimball, Brett Anderson, Dillon Barnett
My Rating:

Heat Level: 5/5
Synopsis:

Thanks to her cheating ex-husband and her thieving brother, all horse breeder Nikki Kimball has left is a bruised heart, an over-drawn bank account and an empty home. When sex-on-legs Dillon Barnett and his brooding foster-brother Brett Anderson start showing more than just neighborly attention, Nikki is intrigued…and a little gun-shy.

Dillon and Brett have a history; back in high school, the two friends fought a bitter battle over Nikki. Now, ten years later, Brett still longs to be the man in Nikki’s life, but he’s determined to stand back and let Dillon win Nikki’s heart.
Society says Nikki must choose between the two men she loves. Is Nikki strong enough to break all the rules in order to find happiness?

"No, no, no!"

Nikki has been waiting on Dillon to make a move on her since her divorce two years ago. She thinks he's interested in her, but not truly sure due to his lack of trying anything. So when her truck breaks down on the side of the road and he happens upon her, the sparks between them begin to fly.

It started out great. It was just Nikki and Dillon, and I loved their chemistry and interaction with each other. The sex between them was always smoking hot, but it seemed as if Dillon was more into Nikki than she was into him. With that being said, Dillon still proposed to her, and I could see them getting married, having a family, the whole nine yards. This it where things start to shift and Brett enters the picture. Even before the menage, Brett and Nikki's relationship seemed more than just friendship. Once they did agree that Nikki should date both men and make a choice between them, I felt Dillon got the short end of the stick. I just kept reading about how Brett had this horrible childhood while Dillon's childhood was all roses and sunshine, that it seemed like the author was trying to make Brett the obvious winner of the girl because of his rough childhood.

Nikki came across as having feelings for Dillon and being fond of him, but I felt that she was more in love and drawn to Brett. I just kept waiting for Nikki to choose Brett throughout much of the book. Dillon was more of a voyeur of Nikki and Brett's relationship instead of an active participant, which is most obvious during the sex. Although during one sex scene, it seemed that there was some kind of slightly intimate connection between Brett and Dillon; the author just touched on it and didn't explore it.

Although they did make it a permanent menage, I still felt as if Dillon should have removed himself from the situation and found someone who could love him fully. Overall, this was a REALLY HOT read and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Leah Braemel | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Seers of Light by Jennifer DeLucy

Lillian Hunt has never truly lived. Always sensing more to the world than is easily perceived, she fears that her instincts are stubborn flights of fancy, or worse, mental instability. But some things—disappearing strangers, tangible dreams, and visits from malevolent creatures—cannot be ignored. Before it's too late, Lillian is ripped from the only existence she’s ever known and thrust into a reality that she always suspected, but could scarcely believe. She must learn the truth about who she is, the powerful beings that wish to destroy her, and the two men who would die to protect her.

Buy Seers of Light now at Amazon or from her publisher. Follow Jennifer on Twitter!
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Untamed Hearts (Volume 1) by Jenna Byrnes

Co-authored with Jude Mason

Feral Heat: The female scent is a powerful thing. Kai, leader of the cougar clan, finds that out the hard way. Can he and his life mate, Aric, find the stolen talisman before it's too late? Kai’s a changeling, sometimes a highly-sexed human, sometimes an even friskier cougar. When he mounts the seductive Sable, he’s unaware of her mission or what he may lose. The talisman has kept the cougar clan at peace for generations. When it's stolen, Kai and Aric are forced to battle for the survival of the cougar clans, and for the life of their newfound love, Sable.

Bear Combustion: Fire rages, not only through the forest, but in the hearts of Tarek, the leader, Inuka, his fiery lover and Raven, the stoic companion who secretly adores him. Can the flames of their love survive? Tarek would rather ignore the talisman’s warning and frolic with Inuka. But as the leader of the bear changelings, the responsibility is his. Wildfire threatens everyone, and everything, in its path. The bears retreat to their winter caves, as but not all are as able-bodied. When their escape doesn't go as planned, the burden of Tarek’s obligation may be too much for one man to bear.

Untamed Hearts is available online through her publisher, Total-E-Bound, and at Amazon. Follow Jenna's blog and check out her book trailers on YouTube!
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The Wild Rose Press is committed to bringing you the best in romance today. Whether you are a writer of romance or a reader, you will find everything you need here inside the Garden Gate.

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In My Mailbox: Volume 1 Issue 20

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I'll post what books I've received either by mailbox/library/store.

I'll try to post an entry of IMM every Sunday that I receive books by mail of that week.

Listed below are the books I received this week.

Books via Paperback Swap

Insatiable by Lauren Dane

Luke Armed & Dangerous by Cheyenne McCray

Throwback Review: Too Good To Be True by Kristan Higgins

Title: Too Good To Be True
Author: Kristan Higgins
Published: February 1, 2009
Publisher: HQN
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 384
Source: Harlequin Reader Service
Genre: Contemporary
Characters: Grace Emerson, Callahan O'Shea
My Rating:

Synopsis:

When Grace Emerson's ex-fiancé starts dating her younger sister, extreme measures are called for. To keep everyone from obsessing about her love life, Grace announces that she's seeing someone. Someone wonderful. Someone handsome. Someone completely made up. Who is this Mr. Right? Someone...exactly unlike her renegade neighbor Callahan O'Shea. Well, someone with his looks, maybe. His hot body. His knife-sharp sense of humor. His smarts and big heart.

Whoa. No. Callahan O'Shea is not her perfect man! Not with his unsavory past. So why does Mr. Wrong feel so...right?

{This book was read in January 2009; This is the review I posted on Goodreads}

I absolutely loved it! This is the first book I've read by this author but I'm positive it won't be my last. Between Grace, her grandma Meme, and her sister Margs, you'll be laughing out loud from page one. All the characters are well developed and it makes you feel like you're apart of it too. Callahan. What can I say. The almost perfect man, he's looking for the same things she's looking for. There's only one slight imperfection, at least in the eyes of her family. The only thing I didn't like about this story (and there isn't much) was Natalie and Andrew. Without giving anything away, (you can read the back cover of the book to know that Andrew is her ex-fiance who leaves her for her younger sister Natalie) I just felt that Grace was a too forgiving to both of them. Sometimes I just wanted to scream at Grace to stop babying Natalie and helping her plan her wedding to the man you were supposed to be marrying! But other than that, it was a nice lite read that's highly entertaining.