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.)