Flesh by Kylie Scott

I've been reading Kylie Scott for a little bit now. I started with her Stage Dive series and then to her Dive Bar books. They were engaging and funny. Simply put, they were great entertainment. The characters were great to read about. They are some of my favorite rereads. Not that I should be rereading much with my ever growing TBR list.

Sometimes, one needs a book they are familiar with to escape into. And her books are great escapes. Then, I found out she wrote some books set during a zombie apocalypse. I wasn't sure how well that was going to work out for me. I debated for a heck of a lot longer than I should have. Then, Flesh went on sale and I had no reason not to give the book a shot.

I shouldn't have waited. There was no reason I should have. This book certainly wasn't about a musicians or bartenders, nope it was about a woman and two men surviving zombies and the criminal humans.

Ali meets Daniel and they team up. Okay, so a heck more is involved than that. Daniel hadn't seen a real live girl in like 8 weeks or so. He was in instant love and protect the moment he saw her. (This is totally okay in this world. It's fiction and erotica and whatever else tag can be thrown on it.) Ali takes a bit longer to warm up but she needed a man in her life. (A living breathing one.)

Off they go to find themselves a nice house they can turn into a fortress. Oops, they run into bad people when they went "shopping". But Finn, the hot young cop comes in for the rescue. Then it's a series of events as they try to escape all while having sex and creating a bond among the three of them. Who wouldn't want two hot males looking out for you during a zombie crisis?

Totally, don't want to ruin the plot or story line so I'll just say that they end up in a safe town where more adventure awaits. Plus relations, because it's that kind of book.

There is a second book and a couple of shorts all set in this new zombie filled world. I will be checking them out soon. I loved the writing in this book and the engaging way the characters were and hope that it continues in the next one. In the mean time, I should start making up a list of things needed in the event of a zombie outbreak (it's possible) and to read that zombie guide that's been around for some time. It's imperative to know the difference between zombie sub-classes.

The Tutor by K. Larsen

I read a ton. To date this year, I have read over 50 books. I do it all on my own with just knowing I like the author's work, freebies, or the ever popular "oh, pretty" choice. Very recently, I joined a book club (Twisted Sisters) and the book The Tutor by K. Larsen was being read for June.

I ventured over to Amazon because I use Kindle and looked into the book. I was intrigued by the story line and couldn't wait to give it a try. Plus, I'd be able to talk to others about the book. Something that I have found can be difficult. The internet and e-books have made reading easy as can be and yet it is extremely diversified. Which is great, but not the same as being in a store and striking up a conversation in the romance or fantasy section because you are holding the newest book of one of your favorite series.

I read this book in a few days (cause life interfered) and was blown away while being completely captivated. There are several things that made me fall in love with this book. Some of them are technical and others are purely story and aesthetics.

First off, the structure and telling of the story were well executed. There are several characters that are telling the story. First and foremost is the main character Nora. She is the main voice and the story is told from her POV in the present and the past. Some of the other characters are sprinkled in and break up what could have been a story only told from Nora. The balance struck between these elements sucked me in and kept me reading.

This is a dark romantic suspense. Nora was kidnapped after going to tutor a young girl in the mountains at a very rustic cabin. She is a shy young woman who has experienced a lot of varying trauma. She is taken by the man, Holden, and it all goes from there.

Without doing a book report or giving away any major spoilers, I'm going to refrain from going into too much detail, because it was worth the read. That being said, the characters are all dealing with flaws. I couldn't stand certain characters at first, but as I read and as those flaws were brought to light along with motive, I had to change the my stance on those feelings.

Feeling and emotions were evoked big time. With the kidnappings and delving into the minds of the victims, kidnapper, and law enforcement, I wasn't certain what I need to be feeling. There were times I wanted to cry and others where I could have screamed.

My feelings in regard to Holden are mixed because he was severally flawed but he was multi layered to the point that while I should have hated him, I didn't. Others may disagree with me, but no two people will read the same work and come out with the same experience.

Now, onto just the randomness of what I liked. I liked the cabin and how cut off from the world it was. There was no electricity or running water. Now like Nora, I would have an issue with the plumbing part, because I really enjoy indoor plumbing. Just saying, best invention ever out side of AC and maybe the icebox (see what I did there?). The descriptions of the beauty of the world and quietness of the scene were picturesque.

I loved this book, but be mindful of the trigger warnings the author set forth.

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.)