Reading and Living Life

Two months since my last post. Scary things since I've continued to do lots of reading. Granted life changes have thrown my reading plans out of the window. Plus spending time with family in an upcoming vacation. Granted there will be a plane ride involved, so reading will be had. That's the plan at least. Have a fully charged Kindle, cell phone, and a battery pack thing to recharge either device. That's the ultimate plan.

Onto some of the good stuff I've been reading.

Nuts by the awesome Scott Hildreth came out recently and I sped read though it while getting ready to sell my house. Let's just say packing and cleaning in a week for that to occur is a stressful task. One that was mitigated by P-Nut and his brand of crazy. This is book five from the Filthy Fuckers series and I think it's my favorite so far. I had to reread it, slowly, just because I knew I had missed stuff and that couldn't have been allowed to stand.

Upon the reread, I did catch the subtle humor I missed the first time. Bad me. I really didn't want to see this end. I wanted to cry because it ended. When I got to the last page, I silently weep for a moment, but knew that it would last forever. Plus reread!

Anyway, Percy aka P-Nut and Joey aka the love interest were my favorite couple so far. I also have gained the desire to cook fancier dinners and learn about all things motorcycle related to the actual motorcycle. Other than the obvious stuff. Granted in Rigid there is a lot of talk about music and I still need to go look up the songs mentioned in the book. That's neither here nor there. What's important are the characters and the story. Both of which are written very well.

I read quite a bit and didn't post anything so here's a list of what I read. I had fun reading them all. I have several books that have more than one book included and those books are not included as of yet. One I have to find them and two I need to remember to do so.

Suddenly Dirty by JA Low
Beast by A. Zavarelli
My Beautiful Killer by Riley Rollins
Ghostface Killer By M. Never
Beasting Beauty By Madison Faye
Huck By Alison Ryan
Wine and Whiskey and Wine and Whiskey: Everything For You by Nikki Belaire
Going Down and Getting Off by Katherine Stevens
Rock Me by Vivian Wood

I loved Nikki's books and have two more to go to finish the books she's written so far. I couldn't seem to put down Ghostface Killer. I have a few of her books to finish off as well.

Onward to new books to read and hopefully better updates. Not promising anything right now.

Binge Reading!!

I have gone onto a reading binge and knocked out quite a few books I had gotten some time ago. I've read over 40 different titles in 2017. Some are short stories, but mainly they are full length books. Between all the reading, I've been doing other things. Such as gaming, crafting a bit, watching tv, and of course working.

So about a month ago, an author by the name of Kitty Thomas gave me the opportunity to read an ARC of her newest book Surrender with the request I leave a review on Amazon when it went live. Now this is the third book in one of her book worlds that I really like. The books are stand alone and some familiar characters make appearances. Other than that, they can be read in any order. I personally loved her book Broken Dolls and her main male lead Brian. So being able to read this book filled me with joy.

So I get the ARC and I read it quickly and with minor interruption. One I had to get dinner, hello Taco Bell, and two I had to take care of pets, and three I was chatting with the author. There were also a few times I laughed at weird places and even threw in a Russian accent to the characters that were Russian. Normally, I don't assign accents to characters due to reading everything silently and in my head. But I did.

By the end, I was on a Kitty Thomas reading binge. I had her entire catalog on my Kindle, but I hadn't read most of them. A few were partially read. So I read the rest of her books in less than a week. I should have been curled into a ball questioning my sanity, but nope, I powered though and was relieved that I accomplished the goal.

Kitty's books are a bit on the darker side, but to  me the ending all work and they might not be the normal HEA that most would go for, but they make sense to the books and they conclude well. So the books I read were of course Surrender, then Guilty Pleasure, The Con Artist, Mafia Captive, Big Sky, Tender Mercies, Dark Night of the Soul, Blood Mate, The Last Girl, and Submissive Fairy Tales.

I finished Reaper's Fall by Janna Wylde and read her shorter novella Shade's Lady. I really like the Reaper's stories. The men aren't perfect and the women have backbones and humor.

Due to Kitty Thomas, I picked up a book from Anna Zaires called Tormentor Mine and read though it pretty quick. This was another darker romance. A hitman that falls for a woman he tormented to get to her husband only to stalk her and make her his. Sounded fantastic. It is too, plus there will be more of the story, because it ended with a "cliffhanger." Not the type of cliffhanger which makes you scream WTF what happened, but more like a there will be another book to explore this relationship and life. Totally worth picking up. Soon I will read whatever else I have by her on my Kindle, though I have other books to binge on first.

Another favorite author of mine is Kallypso Masters. She writes romance with a BDSM theme. Recently, she released the novel Jesse's Hideout. It's a sweet romance novel with a few meddling ghosts. Due to this book, I now want to try fruitcake, hot buttered rum, and oatmeal raisin cookies with Chinese 5 spice in them, (Books with food usually make me crave said food. It's a curse, plus Kristen Ashley's books do it to me the most.) Kallypso's work has a lot of fantastic description and brings you into the story.

Speaking of Kristen Ashley, I binged on her books Creed, Raid. and Deacon. I'd read the first book some time ago and I don't have the last book as of yet. All were good, but I think I really loved Deacon the most.

The follow up to Candy Boys was Dirty Princes by Jo Raven. I needed a lighter romance with some smiles so I read this one since I laughed so much with Candy. While it still had comedy, it wasn't as much as candy. I like it even if I wanted to smack one of the characters and give him the stick eye. All part of the story though and I got the ending I wanted so it's all good.

I was in an MC romance kind of mood so I read Nicole Snow's Never Have an Outlaw's Baby. There was lots of sex and drama in this book. Is there any other kind of fun in a book?

Then, a book I've been waiting a year for finally released. Twist by Kylie Scott. Joe and Alex are fantastic. Joe is a man's man and he's super sweet. Though he does have his I'm a man and oblivious moments. I've read the Stage Dive series and the first book of this series and would recommend them all. Now I have to wait another year for book 3. *pouts* Follow her on Facebook and watch the shenanigans ensure between her and Joanna Wylde.

I started reading Scott Hildreth's  Selected Sinners MC books. I've read the fist two books, Making the Cut and Taking the Heat. Both of which are gritty and something else like everything else I've read, but I have the rest of the series on the kindle, waiting and watching from the carousel whenever I pop in. I love the journeys he puts his characters through. Rigid was another book I binged because I was waiting for it. There were all the emotions in it. Now I'm looking forward to the next book about P-Nut. He's a bit of a nut, but he seems to be a lovable nut.

The book I actually finished last was from an author I discovered at the release day Facebook party of Rigid. Straight No Chaser by Nikki Belaire was good. Lately, a lot of the books I've been reading in the 1st person POV has a duel POV, but not this one. It's in Luc's POV the entire time. He's a mafia boss who's in love with his little brother's nanny and will stop at nothing to make her his. The only issue I really had with the book were when scenes would change and I had no idea it happened. To be fair, I've seen the issue in another book I'm reading as well. It pulls me from the story because I didn't realize what was going on. Other than that tiny thing, I'm happy I met and read a new author. Looking forward to reading her other books I also have on the Kindle.

I think there are something like 7000 files of books on the thing. Not sure how that's even possible, but it is. Books for a lifetime. This post is a bit longer due to the mass amount of books I read in the two months I haven't posted. I have several more I'm almost done with. If I reviewed each book on here, it would take forever. I've read Quickies with Eddie short stories as well. Those are by Eddie Cleveland and are good. (Must be signed up to his newsletter to get them.)

That's all I've got now. Back to crafting and reading. Plus I need to shop for a new coffee maker. Mine died and I was lucky enough to have a percolator that still works in the cabinets. It certainly works, but I like the drip coffee makers too. Though I wouldn't mind being able to make the special yummy drinks too. Can't wait to see the options available to me now.

Happy reading!

A bit on the Dark Side

I somehow polished off a couple more books before the weekend was through. I was in a bit of a "What to read next?" slump after all the other books I read. It's something that happens a lot. I guess it's why I jump from book to book sometimes. My poor brain has so much stuffed into it.

I remember the days before the Kindle where books were made with paper and paper only. Well, except for baby books cause those are sometimes plastic and cloth. But with paper books, there is a space issue and back then cost was a major factor. There are so many free books out there. Some are fantastic while others are something that makes you question why you thought it was a good idea to get in the first place. (Yes, I've been here and done that.) At the very least, a really good book can only cost .99 cents with the price going up from there.

I grew up in bookstores and also science museums. I loved the written word more than anything else as a kid. Nancy Drew was one of my favorite series to read. Getting lost in the worlds on the page was all I wanted to do. If I want to be honest, I still want to do it. Only now my worlds involve a lot more than a teenage girl solving a mystery with her boyfriend.

As I was saying, due to the influx of books I can devour, I forget a lot about a book unless it leaves a mark. Even then, it could get jumbled about and confused. There have been times, (today even), where I'll recall vividly a passage from something I've read but not the title or author or even *gasp* the character names. It's super annoying, I can tell you that. Then once that passage is found, another one pops up.

So, while I have a good selection of real live books, I have more electronic ones. Books to read will never be a problem. Ever. Keeping them straight on the other hand is going to be insane. Just saying. They already are. lol.

I'm going to play around with how I set up posts on here until I find something that works the best for me. Without further delay, I have two books to discuss today.

The one on the right,  Predator, was one I got free (though the price has returned to normal). I liked the sound of it and the cover was interesting to me as well. I wasn't completely sure of what I was about to embark on. I mean only so much can be put into a blurb without giving anything away and still get a reader interested. (Blurbs are hard to write. At least for some.) I pulled up book in all of its electronic glory. Saying I cracked open the book just doesn't work here. :/

Needless to say, the author throws you right into the deep end of the pool while a whirlpool is forming to suck you in. The only reason I didn't read this one straight through was because of bed and work. Though I did knock a chunk of it out before I went to bed. There were a few moments of OMG what is going to happen next.

Cara is a woman on the run from someone out to kill her. Her parents have been killed and she's been on the run since. Then she is found and taken. From there, bad things happen and as the reader you wonder how it's going to turn out. Enter Damian. He pulls her out and saves her life. The book switches between both of their POVs so you get a better story line.

I really liked Damian though he did have a few "man" moments of cluelessness. He was all about protecting Cara from outside threats and even from herself. He is a "cleaner" and he saves people. Cara was perfect for him because she was a fighter. Throughout the entire book she fought, even when you weren't sure she was.

I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. So onto the book by Shari Slade. Devil's Host MC is the complete series of four shorter works. Some time ago I read the first part and enjoyed it. I was waiting for other parts to be completed and had every intention of picking them up separately when I discovered they were bundled. I was happy. Less single books are always nice.

Star and Noah are the main characters in this MC romance. Star is a down on her luck woman with Noah being the enforcer of the MC he is a member of. There is plenty of sex in this book and thank goodness it was all bundled together because each book ends in a cliffhanger. There is plenty going on between these characters. Noah is a rough man with a tender heart.

That's all I've got for now. I'm slowly working my way though a few other books. Kind of bouncing between genres at this point because I can't seem to commit. There are too many books. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Though I am reading Nalini Singh's Archangel's Heart. I love this series and have for many years. So a chapter here and there while reading other books with allow me to stretch out the story a bit.

Bad Boys and Hot Woodsman

I've been slacking on the reading. Or at least it feels like I have been. Life, how dare you get in the way of the written word. Granted it's only been five days and I read two books. I mean I'm not a super speed reader and able to read several books a day. Though that would be awesome.

Anywho, I read both books by the same author. Eddie Cleveland. Navy SEAL Bad Boy and Saved by the Woodsman. There have been a short as well thrown in there for his newsletter subscribers (but who's keeping track? I'm keeping track. Totally and completely keeping track.)

Both books are romance. It's a trend I have going on. I need to read something else just to mix it up a bit and I have lots of other books that I could do that with. I mean it. So many books. Plus a closet full of older (60s-90s) Harlequins and what not romance. While they are both written by the same man and are romance, they couldn't be more different.

Navy SEAL Bad Boy was good and kept me engaged. There were a few one liners. However, I loved Saved by the Woodsman. Sawyer is awesome (male lead in SBTW). Jake isn't a man to be messed with either, but Sawyer is a reader. And books are everything right?

Jake and Holly are the two leads in Navy SEAL Bad Boy and happen to be at a drug rehab facility in Canada. Jake is a navy SEAL and Holly is a young woman who escapes her crazy drug kingpin boyfriend. I saw a lot of growth in these characters as they come to terms with their addiction while at rehab. This was a different take with the male lead having an addiction he was dealing with and being flawed. Flawed characters are the best because they are so relatable. They fall for each other in a quick time frame, though I'm okay with the instalove story line as long as it works. I found the ending to be satisfying. No I won't spoil anything. This was emotional as well as having a few what's going to happen moments.

Saved by the Woodsman was a story I really didn't want to put down. Alas, I wasn't able to binge on the story when it first hit my Kindle. I was fast asleep and then there was work and other "life" things keeping my from getting to far into the story. This morning on the other hand I completed the book before I had to run away. (With three cups of coffee running though my system. There was tea at work so win win.) Sawyer kept me reading and wanting to see what would come next. Ashley was a complex character underneath a not so complex facade.

So these characters end up trapped together in a snow storm and it's a romance so lots of sex in a rustic cabin. I mean what's not to love about being trapped with a woodsman with no distractions? Okay he had one book with him so that was a bummer. Somehow, in between all the sex, layers of information is revealed. This book has the best line I've read in a while and has stuck with me.

"Idiot feels like a totally inadequate word for this level of stupid."

From Sweet to Hot

Good morning all. I've been slowly working though a lot of books I've picked up recently (and not so recently). I went through several genres this past almost two weeks. There are just too many books on my kindle and bookshelf. I've also started several other books but decided to skip about. Focus can be challenging. Something shiny!

After the fun I had with Candy Boys and Candy Boys Ever After, I delved into Shafted by Jordan Marie. Another MC romance novel. I enjoy the bad boys. Plus action. Action is fun. I mean shootouts and what have you as action. Though the romance could be action too. It was a fun book with Bree and Shaft aka Jax and they are from two different clubs as well as a huge age difference between them. This is part of a series so there are things that happened in the previous books which are talked about, but it's nothing one can't figure out. Not reading it in order didn't talk away from the story at all. Bree is a spitfire for sure and Jax is just along for the ride as he falls for her. I have the others and look forward to reading them along with the next book called Beast.

I read a couple of short stories by Eddie Cleveland from a Facebook group I'm part of. Those were hot little bites of romance and sex. I do enjoy his novels as well. (Some of the partially read books I'm working on.) I did read and finish American Bad Boy last year. These took nothing and no time to read.

So Facebook and all the various authors I follow get me into trouble. It's the way I have found many of my favorite authors. The free bestseller list on Amazon also does the same thing. It's the reason my Kindle is chock full of so many books. I need to stop time just to read all the words. Finding new authors is nice and keeps reading entertaining because of all the new voices.

Anyway, one of the authors I found this way was Daryl Banner and that first book I read of his was Read My Lips. It was sweet and really good in college setting. But that was last year and this year I read Football Sundae. It was sweet, laugh out loud funny, and just freaking awesome. Billy and Tanner are such sweet guys who are perfect together. The town of Spruce is small, but everyone is nice. I personally want to move there to live. But alas Spruce is a place that only lives on the pages from the author's imagination. Strawberry lube and grandmas will never be seen the same way again. Also, I had a strange craving for burgers and ice cream after this read.

Fake Fiance by Ilsa Madden-Mills took no time to read. Again last year I read her novel Dirty English. I didn't realize till I started the book however. I read a lot of authors so names are hard for me to keep straight. But I seem to be on a weird trend of reading. This book was a sweet college romance. Sunny was a girl who faced so many hardships and still managed to work herself to a good place. Plus she has a unicorn named Charlie. Max is the football star and he only wants to do the best as the quarterback. Too bad fate put Sunny in his path. She helps him grow throughout the book. A good fun read.

And finally the last book I read was Mother Trucker by Piper King. I picked this one up cause it was free and the cover was in one word hot. Two of the best reasons to get a book. It was a quick read that was pretty good. A trucker basically falls for a diner waitress and they have sex before he disappears. Next time he's back, he finds out he's a daddy. There was a lot of I want her, but I can't because of my past. I felt it was a bit much at times and wanted to growl, but I pushed though and got to the HEA so it's all good.

All the pretty covers!

I have a few more book that I should be able to finish soon and then post something. Hopefully, I get back into the swing of reading on a more consistent basis. Anyway, I think that about sums up today's post. Time to read and listen to music. (Currently the Fifty Shades Darker Soundtrack. I enjoyed the first one and now this one. Yes I've read two out of the first 3 books and the forth one too. I even saw the first movie and plan on seeing the second.)

Books and What Not

I've started off reading slow this year. Or at least not finishing books that I've started. I have a few of those that I really need to sit down and read. So far this year, I've only gotten through a whole five book and a collection. There was a whole week where I was busy with family that cut into the reading time. Not that I'm complaining. So anyway I have finished two other books by Scott Hildreth and two books by Jo Raven.

Rough and Dirty are books two and three from the Filthy F*ckers MC series by Scott. I talked very little about Hard in a previous post. I enjoyed the book lots and made me want to continue to read the author and this series in particular. I think as of right now Rough is my favorite one. (I could always change my mind at a later date.)

Something about the series I enjoy, is the realism in the stories. They, especially book two for me at least, also invoke serious emotions. I think I ended up crying through the last 10 percent of book two. It's definitely an emotional story. Love and loss for sure. But certain elements actually mirrored something in my own life so therefore the story hit harder than I thought or knew it would. Plus Pee Bee and Tegan are an awesome couple.

The books by Jo Raven were more of a fun romantic read without there being too much drama. In short, the opposite of the Filthy F*ckers. Candy Boys and Candy Boys Ever After were fun and flirty. They are about Candy and her two "boys" she ends up in a relationship with. I had fun reading Candy's POV along with the boys. There was some struggle among the characters, but there was also a lot of humor. Something that I was looking for at the time, along with hot scenes.

I've been bouncing back and forth between several books since I've finished the ones I've listed so by the time I write another post I should have a few more books to mention. As I've said before, me and reviews are not friends. I don't feel as if I get the words right. But the above books are awesome.

On another note, I watched Underworld: Blood Wars and man was that an intense movie to see in the theater all by myself. Kate does a great job. I have enjoyed the entire series and there is just something about how she kicks butt in the movies that's enjoyable to watch.

Now I am also looking forward to seeing the new Resident Evil movie. I've never played the games, but I'm good with that. I don't play games well, even if I have a few. It's been almost two months since I've done anything with ESO and I love my dark elf. He's a blast to play!

Now, back to reading and to my own writings that I hope one day I say are done.

MC Romance and Lady Grey

One of the genres I enjoy reading is MC (motorcycle club) romance. I've read several of Joanna Wylde's Reaper series. Something that I have done for many years and with many many book series is that I didn't actually start with book one when I found this author and began reading her. Nope I started with book two. Reaper's Legacy got me into a really good book series. Thank you Books A Million for your bargain section cause I would have missed out.

Not sure when I started getting into this genre but it was in the last few years, this I know. Since then I have read Devil's Game (book 3), Reaper's Stand (book 4), Reaper's Property (book 1), and Reapers and Bastards (anthology). I'm in the process of reading book 5 Reaper's Fall. That will only leave me with a couple of her books left to get and read. Something I'm looking forward to doing. I mostly read the books in order, though I found it wasn't super imperative to do so, it would still be a good idea due to characters and timelines. Pesky details and what have you. (Important pesky details.)

Reviews are actually very difficult to write for me. It's good buy it are the perfect way to get friends to try something. Having to come up with reasons as to why one should buy something with examples is hard for me. Motorcycles, humor, romance, and action. Those are good key words to the books I've read. Emotional response is another thing I experienced while reading. Being able to get sucked into a story and care about the character's it a big thing for me. Though depending on my mood I sometimes switch books because my headspace changes. One reason I have too many books I'm in the middle of reading.

In review, these books are kick ass and really read written. This is also a series that I've gone back to to reread. I love books that allow me to do that. The males have made me wish I could hit them upside the head on occasion while going "What in the hell are you thinking?". Though what well written book doesn't have you wanting to strangle the characters. It's a way to really get into a book.

Reading these different books I don't have a favorite because they are all different and I like them equally due to this. All the men are awesome and have a quirk or action that makes you love them and want to keep reading. The women all have reasons why they are strong, each in their own way.

Onto a separate note, I have tried both the Prince of Wales and Lady Grey teas. Each was very good, but the Lady Grey trumps Prince of Wales at this time. The Earl Grey was just Earl Grey (still a good tea mind you), but Lady Grey is the winner so far. I still have a few more to try and debate on. I have a feeling I will choose teas based on how I'm feeling and not just the taste. (Coffee still rules the mornings, but I did have an entire day of drinking Lady Grey, so point scored there. lol)  

Tea!

Recently I was at Epcot at Disney World and wanted to hit up the Twinings tea store in the United Kingdom portion of the World Showcase. I was running low on my good tea such as Earl Grey and this was just a tea store. Granted it was only a single brand of such tea, but that's okay.

I stepped in and looked around and they had a Jasmine Earl Grey which I will be trying soon. I love Jasmine Green Tea so I assume I'll love this one. I picked out four boxes and one had several flavors. I love the names of the tea as well. I have one called Lady Grey and there is the Prince of Wales. They had some others I wanted to get just based off of the names.

I am looking forward to drinking this tea and reading. This past week I have read very little due to a family reunion and lots of stuff was going on. I mean lots. Disney happened every single day. Rides, food, and fun. It was a blast. Now, I'm back home and can get lost into words again. So many words.

Yummy looking!

Gaming has been happening a lot however. We got a new game called Orleans and it's a pretty fun game to play. Lots of moving parts going on. It's not a quick game, but it's pretty in depth and fun as you race to score more points than your opponent. The game can be played with 2-4 players. What's kind of cool is that this is a German game that a company has translated into English so that all the tiles and rules are in English. There's even a way to get a 5th player for the expansion of the game, but it has to be bought from the German game website. lol.

I've been reading a lot on the Kindle app, but I'm itching to read a paperback right now. I'm in the midst of several books and must decide on one to read and finish. Just depends on the mood I'm in as to what genre and style.

Until next time. Then I'll have a book I've read and tea I've tried.

Happy New Year

Hello once again. I can't believe it's been basically a year since I've posted anything. Especially, since I've done a ton of reading. When I say a ton, I mean around 60 plus books (this includes shorter and longer works). I have many in various stages of being read. Many on Kindle, but several in paper format.

2016 was a weird year and I'm glad it's over. With that being said, it means I should make some kind of list and knock stuff off of it. Such as shows or movies I want to watch, books I want to finish or begin, crafts I want to craft (because I totally have a ton of free time to craft #notreally), and anything else I'm forgetting because... something shiny.

Honestly, I have drafts of posts I intended to post and well didn't. I really thought I would have. I found some great new authors last year and watched some awesome new shows. One of the posts was about Stranger Things. A show that I fell in love with. I'm looking forward to Season 2 and can't wait to see how they use Dungeons and Dragons in the new season.

Ah, gaming. Another hobby I have acquired. (See above something shiny.) I love DnD because its fantastic. I also play Elder Scrolls Online (ESO). Dark elves rule! Yes, I'm a weird player that loves doing weird stuff. Like being the only dark elf warlock in a group of good doers. Well, there's a cleric and a band of how the hell did we all become a group. Oh right, tavern plus job for money. Off topic about books, but if we want to get technical, I can tie it together with coffee (or tea depending on the time) and books. Though now I'm also playing tabletop games with the hubby.

See, I need to make lists.

Anywho, as I was saying. I've been finding lots of good books from either other authors on Facebook, or randomly stumbling onto them because they were free on Kindle or by some other means aka friends. I mean if you can't trust friends to give you good advice on books to read then who can you trust. 😺

Now that I've rambled for a bit I'm thinking I'll maybe post books and authors I've currently read or something.

For 2017, I've finished one book that technically I started in 2016.

Hard (Filthy F*ckers MC Romance Book 1) by Scott Hildreth

This book was put on a list back in July and I know I had to have seen it from Facebook, cause that's basically where I get all my wishlist books from, though I'll never be able to figure out where I saw it. No matter. It went on sale and I got it. Then well you know, I read it. Took a couple of days. (Work and other things in life like 12 hours of tabletop gaming with friends oh and New Year's Eve. Pesky people wanting me to participate in the real world with real people.)

There's a disclaimer somewhere and I could see why it was there. It's listed in Erotica, but I found it to be pretty realistic for the most part and a fast paced read. I had to stop for a few moments before picking it back up. It was a great book. A bit gritty and raw. This was also the first book I'd read by this author and won't be the last.

That's it for now. Have a great start to the new year. Now if only Florida would act normal and cool off. Seriously, it's too hot outside.