Today We're Talking About Food !

Soup of the Day: 365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year by Kate McMillan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For people like me that love to cook as a hobbie and than share my meals with my two kids that also love eating, this is the perfect book for my kitchen library.

What goes better with the passing seasons during a year's time? Soup, of course.

This recipes are easy to make, in which you can use the same ingredients in different recipes and the photography is amazing.
Next to each recipe is a curiosity to share another idea that pleases me.

The book is separated by months, a thing that I also enjoy and as a hardcover this would be an addition to anybody who appreciates the true pleasure of chilling out in the kitchen and afterwards tasting heaven on a plate.

In the end you have an index by name of the soup and afterwards by the type of soups that are mentioned in the book, a perfect ending.

I don't know if I will like all the soups for a years time but I'll certainly try them.

REVIEWED FOR NETGALLEY.


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"Beyond Shame" by Kit Rocha

Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How I loved this book and what a surprise was to get into a dark, futuristic story and getting completely hooked. I was never one to like science fiction elements, but Kit Rocha was able to mix all the perfect ingredients weaving words, actions, and feelings that torn me apart and glued my hands to the book until the last page.

Noelle has been trialed and judged in Eden, being thrown out into the sectors, leaving behind a life of luxury and wealth. She finds herself in the streets where darkness and cruelty live side by side with nothing more than the close on her back.
Almost being raped and drugged she falls into the arms of Jasper, the right hand man of Dallas, leader of the gang in sector 4.
As soon as she meets Lex, the trip to a new life begins and with the help of this two, she starts to discover herself and to broaden her knowledge into a world that only in her head existed, from voyeurism to
BDSM, from pleasure to pain, all is learned.
Will she in the end overcome her shame and be free to live her sexuality to the fullest?

How interesting to find a world so ugly that sexual intercourse is only part of a serving life to the one you marry, as in Eden ... and what lovely feeling must be to act freely without prejudice and in a place completely new to discover.

As far as Noelle's awakening goes, the character rolls through the pages beautifully. From not knowing anything about the life in the sectors to discover the pleasures of sharing her lust, her pulling towards pain and shame and overcoming her shyness and discovering a world of possibilities as far as sexual choices go, her growth is palpable by the reader making us love her awakening.

Lex is also a character that grows through out the story, from the womanizing aspect of sharing to falling in love with Noelle and the desire to mark her has his own and only woman. It doesn't mean that in the next books we won't see this two sharing sex with Dallas or Lex but the waiting is killing me.

This book made me realize that a story can be extreme, sexy, and have a thread line of action running along with it.
In my eyes this book has all the elements that are part of a full novel and is perfect. A five star book.

After I finished I went to the author's page to see if the other characters get their own story, and with relief I say yes. I want more, I want Dallas.


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"Hunter's Season" by Thea Harrison

Hunter's Season by Thea Harrison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Xanthe is a royal assassin servicing the dark fey queen and has come home after being sent to America on Tiago's orders to execute a mission.
The problem is her identity has been compromised and she must past on to another position. That position is the personal guard of Queen Niniane.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Riordan is attacked and is left for dead, but as he battles to live, Niniane and Tiago come up with a plan to protect him by sending him to Xanthe's cabin with her, making him disappear into thin air.

The days pass and Xanthe and Riordan are closer than ever, starting to uncover a love so great that no one can tear apart.

Xanthe is the perfect assassin, soundless, perfect in her mask of stillness, but underneath that skin is a woman to be discovered that has always loved Riordan. Being from a different social circle, it wouldn't cross her mind that she would have a chance to be corresponded.
This was the perfect character to play the part in the book of a dark fey, and she is very well made up, as I was reading, I could almost see her standing in the kitchen of her cabin with her long braid, perfect writing skill M.Harrison as always.

Riordan was also very well placed in the hierarchy of the dark fey social scale. All his attitudes screamed nobility and education.
But, he was also so charming and so attractive in his ways of pulling Xanthe to him ...

"I'm falling in love with you, he thought. And damn, it's  a deep, deep fall."
"There is no one else in the world like you."
"I will not run the risk of losing you just after I found you."

And when he lays out his feelings to her we almost can hear the words, "Xanthe, you are the most beautiful surprise in my life. I hardly noticed you at first. You carry the quiet of a river with a still surface that runs deep. I found that the more I looked at you, the more beautiful you become and the more I want you."

For lovers of Thea's series of Elder Races this story is perfectly woven together with the world that she has accustomed us to and is a story not to miss.

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The Owners Series #2 "His Obsession" by Sam Crescent

His Obsession by Sam Crescent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK, Cadeon was my kind of hero but we have to move on to another hero, right? And heroes are all different in their own kind of way.

Stephen Knox is a wealthy man, owner of Possession and friend with our "Owners" and has all that he wants, but still one thing is missing ... the flare of ownership that his friends have and the lady that goes along with it.
When he takes on his housekeeper Ursula Mills, he begins to feel what he doesn't know and when she finds herself in danger living in an abused relationship, Stephen jumps to the rescue and takes them down into a world of ... Obsession.

Stephen seemed to me to be the kind of man that liked to be challenged, pushed, so he could fight back, punish at his own will and pleasure.
For this man a submissive wouldn't do the trick but a woman that shows flare and fire, but at the same time, knows how to take orders and stand back and be protected when he tells her to.
This is easier said than done in Ursula's case.

Their dance of seduction was almost my favorite part, better than the physical outcome of it ...
"Don’t move" he said. She stopped, staring into his dark brown eyes. He held her captive in his gaze. The tension between them mounted with every passing second. They kept their gazes on each other for ages."

Ursula Mills was a character like many woman in this life.
At first everything is roses and then the wolf comes knocking on the door, I think that sometimes we see in a man what we want and not who he is, and that is exactly what happened here.
What we don't get is a "Stephen" knocking on our door everyday and this lucky girl knew how to move on , upwards and not the other way around.
I also related to her in the fact that she doesn't bow down to Stephen and makes room for her personal and professional pleasure.

Over all M. Crescent made a good job of this book and I so like her writing style:

"When we’re here, you’re no one else’s.” The words confused her.
“Whose am I?” she asked.
“Mine.";

So, now for the next Owner, and this time it's James turn.



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Back to Delite, this time is Sally

Double Trouble by Dixie Lynn Dwyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Again, I return to Delite, Texas, this time to tell a little about Sally Brooks and the Mason Brothers.

Sally Brooks has had enough of being alone. She wants what her sister and her friends have, men that love them and partners in life. She feels lonely and if the Mason brothers don't want nothing to do with her, well, she has to move on and find somebody that will keep her heart happy.
When she decides to take the matters on her own hands, she chooses Garret Walters to go out on a date.
But looks can be deceitful and danger comes in many forms.

Mason and Steven are ex-marines and they hard as it gets.
When they set their eyes on Sally they know they are in trouble. But do they have the will to give her all that she needs?
And if they don't take the step forward, will they loose her forever ...

This was another story that I read in a speed of light.
I know that I love this Alpha cuties and that I'm a sucker for a love story, but I realized that of all the books that I've read in this series, this was the one that I could relate to and why?
Because every woman feels lonely at a certain point in her life if she is single and Sally was no different. This character is very well layed out, making the reader understand why she takes a chance and why it's not her fault to go out with the wrong guy, as I said before looks can be deceitful.
I enjoyed seeing her overcome her fears and for those who read her sisters story understood that it was a big step for her to be-friend all of the dogs.

Now, again, the Marcus brothers are hot. They're hands are very naughty and they fill up the pages with goodies that reader's like me don't miss.
Even though they are made of steel, I enjoyed the change that they went through and the softening of their hearts towards Sally.

Garret Walters personifies the perfect weirdo, a messed up mind and a cruel soul.

Overall I enjoyed the book but I would love for the story to be longer.
M. Dwyer will you make it a little longer next time, thank you.


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"Unbridled and Undone" by Elle Saint James

Unbridled and Undone by Elle Saint James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dell and Zachary come from Wyoming to Colorado to attend a Rancher's conference for the week.
But all work and no play just doesn't feel right ...
They attend a private party where men share between them women and they are part of a lifestyle that still shock's society, so it's best to keep quiet about it.
When they meet Tessa their hole world turns around and they will stop at nothing to convince her to move with them back home.

This two men were what I would call "dream boys from fantasy land".
They were very honest and honorable, even if their choice in the personal department was a little different from what the majority of people had.
I think that the author accomplished us to see that men aren't all alike and that there are good and bad everywhere.
They will stop at nothing to deliver whatever is necessary to Tessa's happiness and that is a good thing to find in a book.
Regarding the sex, they are very naughty boys and I enjoyed every single word of what I read. They're Hot!

Now Tessa was another thing completely.
Being discontent with her life the way it was and trying to flea a loveless marriage and her father's hand, she decides to take a chance into the unknown and break boundaries that most people would disapprove.
She shows bravery and courage, she is bold and the thing that I most liked about her was that money didn't get to her head.
I did like her and if I could see strait into her personality has a character, our author got the job done for me.

In my opinion if the role play concerning the sex scenes was a little less and the plot a little more, this story would be so much better, but I'm not complaining in any way.
The character development could have been a little more too.

Overall I liked this book and as it is a first in series, I'm curious what will come next.


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"In Session" by M. J. Rose

In Session by M.J. Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

REVIEWED FOR NETGALLEY

This book brings three stories, each different but non of the less, important to those who like to dwell after turning the last page.
It was the first time that I read something like this and in which the main character is a sex therapist, exposing to us reader's the problems shared with her patients.

In the first story, we have a woman that loves the man she shares her life with but wants to push forward with their relationship. Anyway, she senses that something is holding him back and asks for the help of Dr. Snow.
Almost undercover, our good doctor shows up with a solution that get's the job done.
Funny that something so small to an adult's eye can take such a big deal in a child's mind that pursues him through his adult life.

In "Decisions, Decisions", Dr. Snow will have to ask a former patient to contact the father of her son, he happens to be an assassin, so he can help her solve a problem with a patients husband.
Again, funny how people have fantasies to be degraded by their partner in life, getting high on them and how your partner can get addicted on something so wrong ... here's something to think about.

And what about Dr. Morgan Snow ?
You would think that she's a strong independent, woman but under her skin, she's so mortal as any of us and I think that anyone would do anything to protect the one's we love.

In our third story, Jack Reacher, an ex-military is following Ted Carlson and as he walks in the Butterfield Institute, a bomb ignites.
Under the wreckage is Dr. Morgan Snow. To distract her from the pain and from the hole happening he tells her a story.
My conclusion is that even in the middle of chaos we can still have hope to find a caring soul.

Overall and in the circumstances that this kind of genre was a first to me, I found the reading a very satisfying one and it can not be easy to flow with the words in this kind of story.
I will probably follow up in more of her books because I recognize that skill and imagination are here.


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The Owners "His Possession" by Sam Crescent

His Possession by Sam Crescent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Cadeon Ashwood is overly possessive and when he meets Violet he knows she is the woman for him. The possessive instinct she stirs within him drives him out of his mind. Could she be the one to take his heart ...

Violet is a shy young woman and she has a dark past filled with shame. She lives in constant fear of being found so she tries to live mingling in without standing out in the crowd.

When Cadeon sees an opportunity to get close, he takes it with everything he’s got.
But the past always comes back around and if Cadeon doesn't hurry will he be able to save Violet from a terrible future ...

It's the first time for me reading such a thing ... owning your woman, obeying willingly every "command" that your man gives, in and out of bed.
I don't know if I could pull it off but I'm certain that there are women that wouldn't mind.
Sam Crescent has a way of describing this men, a way of making them attractive to our eyes and wanting to find someone with this possessiveness and this perceptiveness of what's best for you, making you feel like a queen.
Good for her, I love the way she writes, the pages flow and when I realize, the book has ended.

Cadeon is as Alpha as it gets. He is overly possessive and knows well to separate his sex life from what goes in his heart. Because he knows that it's not easy to find a woman that would obey him in his every word but he hasn't found any woman that would rise the feeling of owning her and sending him over the edge.
As to Cadeon my feelings where split apart. He could be such an arrogant male and at the same time make me feel through words the desire for his hands to touch me, for his thoughts to fill my head.
Yes, this is how good M. Crescent did her job! The fact that I can read a book and still as I write this review remember how Cadeon spoke and acted, well no more explanations are needed.

Violet was the opposite. I liked and understood the hurt, the loneliness, the fear, but I didn't forge a strong link with this character.
I like spit fire women, and even as impossible that this character were to be strong, she could have been a little braver and fight Cadeon on his will a little more.
She does redeem herself in the end with Dominic but only because she knows that Cadeon will stop at nothing to get her back.

The story was good and I never lost myself in the action thread but I think that there should of been a little more space for the bad guys, their contribution to the story could have been longer.

Overall I did like this book and I followed on the next story, this could only get better right ?



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"Dark Secrets" by Shona Husk

It's out today :-)

Red Hot Books: Review: Dark Secrets

Red Hot Books: Review: Dark Secrets: Reviewed by Jen   Haidyn thought he had what it takes to be part of the Arcane Guild. His gifts lie with magic, but when he first trie...

Giveaway at Swept Away By Romance

Stop by to enter the giveaway of :

Please follow the link, it's due 20/02/2013.

http://sweptawaybyromance.blogspot.pt/2013/02/guest-post-and-giveaway-wellesley-wives.html

Good Readings !

One more Dixie Chic ....

Double Infiltration by Dixie Lynn Dwyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Coming back to Delite, Texas, in this book we have Juliet Saville's story.

She has witnessed blackmails and murder, innocent lives being destroyed and annihilated, she's been running from the psycho that calls himself Pierce.
For the time being she's safe in Delite with her friends but she doesn't risk her heart, keeping it well hidden within herself.

Carl and Richie Parker want it all and they will not take no for an answer.

It will take some skillful, highly intelligent warriors to enforce the law and bring Juliet home safely. As they underestimate the capabilities of their enemies, it nearly costs Carl and Richie their lover. But quick thinking immediately thrusts them into soldier mode and sends them straight into the path of the killers—as they are Juliet’s only hope of survival.

Dixie sends us into another adventure, this time the danger rises up and again our heroes come to the rescue.
I loved the fast paced story and when I got to the last page, I finally had the thought that it went by too fast. If this series had a little more development then probably it would go to a five star.

Our two guys were amazing, couldn't expect more from this alpha boys.
Juliet was OK but in my modest opinion I think she was overly afraid and wined too much, she could have been a stronger character.

Over all I enjoyed this book as much as the others before and now for the next one I go.


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I'm Burning Up ....

Burning Up by Angela Knight
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So, in between books I like to read Anthologies, to freshen up my mind, (I tend to continue to think about the book I finished in the days that follow), and to discover new reads and new authors. It works for me this way.

In "Burning Up" we have a very good start with "Whisper of Sin".

The story is set in Chinatown and we have the story of Emmett and Ria.
Ria comes from a traditional family and is attacked by order of a gang because her family denied to pay "protection".
Emmett is part of the Dark River pack and is a leopard. He almost instantly recognizes Ria as his mate and from that moment on the game starts.
Between leading with Ria's family and wining her over to him the bad guys are taken down and we have a happy ending.

I pretty much enjoyed this story and got me wondering why I never read the Psy-Changeling Series or anything from this author. She won me over and I'm a fan.

What I really enjoyed from this story :

1) Emmett - I'm a sucker for a big, bad macho that loves his woman and protects her from the ugliness of life.
2) Ria - I love a woman that can face up the challenge of taking on her family and fighting for the man she loves. Shows character, perseverance, and wise knowledge. Love it when that woman can pull this through without hurting those she loves and doing it quietly right under their noses.
3) Emmett and Ria lovemaking - I do love a good attraction and when that infatuation turns into a good "rub" and winds up into a hot "fight" between the sheets or anywhere else, you got me. We can't forget that Emmett is a big wild cat and Ria is a little, but very smart woman who knows how to take care of the big bad cat, so ....
4)Short story - Even though this is into an Anthologie and is a short story, in the end I didn't get that feeling that things rushed out a little or that the development of the story got cut in short, so this was a goog thing.

I will take up on this series from the start and enjoy this beautiful Psy-Changeling, and when I get here, I'll probably re-read Ria's and Emmett's story with pleasure.

"Blood and Roses" Angela Knight

So, this author was a first read for me even though I've read a lot about her Megaverse Series.
I'm not going to write about the story itself because I found it short and fast, but I'll tell you about the aspects that I think stood out in the story.

The idea of a Blood Rose, women being born to tame the vampire knights is original and I've never read this idea in any other book, so this was a positive thing to consider.

The setting where the story was placed is appealing to me, the fact that this is probably away from the center of the kingdom and far away from the eyes of the king where traitors and ambitions rise up as facts of broken unity of the nations peace, another point in favor of this read.

The fact that both characters have been betrayed by their loved ones and have to work out their feelings to trust another again, yes this does appeal to my head, it makes the characters grow and is always a fact that puts my mind to work and understand their feelings.

I don't know if the relationships in that time were as easy as it is written, but sex was easy and without taboos, in a way simplified by where people belonged in the social hierarchic class, this is also very well explained in this story.

Now, the bad guys. The fact that there is a barrier and a mean universe behind that barrier, magic and sacrifice to unleash an evil through out the kingdom, a very well placed threat in the plot.

Over all, this was a nice story to read, I'll probably be catching up on more of Ms. Knight's books.

"Shifting Sea" Virginia Kantra

This was my first read from M. Kantra and boy did I like it.

Major John Harris comes back from the war to become a land owner in the beautiful country of Scotland, and .... "He only hoped his best would be good enough".
Used to the war, he begins the journey of healing from the terror of the war and becoming a more human soul without all the darkness within his soul.

When he sees this beautiful woman, as he describes " A woman's skirts, a woman's hair, flowing loose in the wind, shining like sea foam in the sun.", his heart takes leap and he falls in love with this image.

Morwenna is a selkie, a finfolk, children that belong to the sea but this immortal woman wants to live and make a life for her in land along with the human kind.
When she meets John she feels that her response to his "attention" is not the usual feeling within her, it tangles with her heart.

This was a beautiful story, a heart warming change of scenery from what I usually like to read but it spiked my interest to keep turning the pages until the end.

Even in the small amount of pages that this story goes, our author knew to pace it beautifully along with images that stayed in my mind like ... "Lowering his face to the side of her head, he inhaled the clean, salt tang of her hair. She smelled of sunshine and woman, of sex and the sea." ... or ... " you took something of mine when you returned to the sea.You took my heart. The wind sighed. The salt air touched his lips like a cool kiss, like the taste of tears."...

Did I open up your appetite ?
It shure did open mine, I want more !

"Here There be Monsters" by Meljean Brook

This was also my first Steampunk read and my first with M. Brook, let's just say that I didn't realize that this futuristic world would be so vivid in pictures and interesting to my imagination.

Of course, our author helps us to picture a dark and dirty London, a sea that brings many bad things but it also brings a love story between a very bad man and a girl fighting barely to just get by, and brings the most crazy world that I've known to be created. I think I'm going to get to know more about it.

So basically, it goes down like this :

Seven years ago London had finally thrown off the brutality of Horde rule, but many still remember life in the creche. Ivy is one such person. When she finds herself one foggy London night once more paralyzed by a Horde implement and very nearly taken, she runs straight to the only man she knows of who might be able to get her out of the city before the Horde once more take it over: Mad Machen.
But when Machen refuses her paltry monetary offer and wants instead her virginity, Ivy reneges on their deal and finds other passage out, all the while knowing that Mad Machen is very intolerant of folks who welch on deals made with the devil.
Two years later Ivy finds herself in Mad Machen's clutches once more.
Only this time he demands she build him a diabolical device that will
destroy other ships on the seas.

Beyond this fact troubles comes in a passion so strong that Ivy wonders if she can let go of this pirate ...

Oh, how I loved Mad Machen, a strong heart, a dangerous man, and a warm, rough lover. What more could a woman want ?
Ivy, on the other hand was sweet but calloused by life, a very intelligent mind, a mechanical mind should I say.

Over all, this anthologie was a five star for me and is going to my favorite shelf.



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"When Darkness Comes" by Alexandra Ivy

When Darkness Comes by Alexandra Ivy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a perfect start for a new series and has become one of my favorite series of Paranormal heroes that lurk in the shadows.

In this book comes the story of sweet and funny Abby and the dark, seductive vampire Dante.

Abby has had a disastrous and abused upbringing and after all this time she still survives on a thin line. But with her job at Selena's she's content and even though everyday she eyes the beautiful man that lives with her boss, she tries to carry on as nothing happens.
When the spirit of the chalice is incorporated in her and she becomes all of a sudden a goddess what is she to do with all that power ...

Dante has been around for centuries and has been chained to the spirit of the chalice.
A dark and attractive man, a vampire, lethal in its kind, Dante has been evil for so long that when he eyes Abby he feels the innocence in her soul and he falls in love.

When the spirit of the chalice is in danger and it passes itself to Abby, Dante will do anything to save and protect Abby, but after all this ends, will their love have a future ...

This book is one of my favorites and this series became one of the best things that I read.
There is a lot of things that I like in this dark universe, and also there is a point that for me glued me to the book, the way that the hole environment is described and written, the pace that the story takes on from the first page, the fantasy elements that surprise you at every corner.
Really, M. Ivy's imagination and her skill to write fabulous story's, is something that I find irresistible to say no to.

Abby and Dante couldn't be better characters to follow on.

Abby is sweet and funny, she is a spit fire heroin, sometimes afraid but able to overcome the difficulties of her journey and the fear she feels. Her pureness of heart is something that I find very beautiful and heartbreaking, even after all she's been through she still believes in what her heart feels and is willing to take a risk at being happy.

Dante would be the perfect vampire, at least for me, I do love vampires, and with all his seduction and good looks, I wouldn't say no to.
But don't get me wrong, he is not shallow, he is intelligent and fierce, a lethal enemy when it's needed but also a warm loving man to Abby, and I have to believe in my heart that even if Abby wouldn't be the receptor of the chalice in the end, he wouldn't leave her.

Now about the story, first the pace. It's a roller coaster from the start, it's fast and full of creatures that live in our shadows, away from our eyes, but right by our side. Demons that try to lead us on, vampires that try to save us, it's a never ending list of things that fill up our imagination.

Second, the magic. The Witches with their spells come to freshen our mind and spill a little suspense and danger to our story.
Being greedy for the ultimate power and wanting to destroy for a belief, is an aspect that is shared by all demons but also by some witches, and all bought together is a package that I just can't say no to.

Overall, this is a great book, a true universe of dark and seductive individuals, that after reading the first book, the only option is to go on to the second one.
At least I am .... again.


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"A Tall, Dark, Cowboy" Mackenzie McKade

A Tall, Dark, Cowboy by Mackenzie McKade
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Waiting tables in a bar full of no-good cowboys isn't Lacy Mason's idea of fun. But between her daughter's illness, endless doctor bills, and her college tuition, she needs the money. What she could really use is a night of no-holds-barred passion and no-strings-attached sex.

Full-time executive and retired cowboy Wyatt Anderson is drawn to Lacy from the moment he sees her. But she's an enigma. Daring and assured one moment and hesitant the next, it's as if something haunts her. Only willing to give him one night, Lacy clings tightly to her secrets. Unfortunately for her, what Wyatt wants, Wyatt gets. And he definitely wants Lacy!

So, this was a sweet and heart warming story, between two people that down under only want another person to love and fulfill their lives with.
This one comes with a bonus, a child that can challenge a relationship and the pursuit of character to take on such a heavy weight and such a responsibility.

After having read the book, I couldn't stop thinking that this story reminded me of Cinderella, the poor girl that lived abused by her stepsisters and in the end married the prince.

Sometimes life is hard and the circumstances that are presented to us are not so pretty.
Lacy has been through a hard road, alone, raising a sick child, and money-less, but her spirit is of a warrior so she fights. She pushes forward, making her goals verge with the needs of her daughter and fighting for her dreams to come true.

I liked Lacy a lot, she was a combative character never backing down, very well defined in her needs and goals, independent and a hot woman, unashamed of her sexuality.

Wyatt, our cowboy, was the no jerk man, the hot cowboy we all love, a sensitive man, a no beat around the bush guy, he wants, he takes, and when he can't have it all, he'll find a way to get it all. I like it like this.

Wyatt was the guy that was very mature and that was well explained through the story. He was understanding, a true male having all that a woman wants as a companion by her side.

Their encounters were hot. All most like two sides of a coin coming together, all of this was very well written and the thread of the story never got lost in my mind.

If I'd had to have a one night stand with a man, definitively, it would be this cowboy, yes sir!


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Swept Away By Romance: News + Review: Ride The Fire by Pamela Clare

Swept Away By Romance: News + Review: Ride The Fire by Pamela Clare: IT'S FINALLY HERE! The re-release of Pamela Clare's Ride the Fire with the much anticipated epilogue. Woohoo! I've waited a whol...

"A Wish a Kiss a Dream" from Shiloh Walker

A Wish a Kiss a Dream by Shiloh Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The first story we find in this Anthologie is Shiloh Walker's "Djinn's Wish".

After having found out that her husband betrayed her with her best friend, Kat is involved in a car crash that leaves her blind. Being a rising star in the art world with her paintings, Kat turns into a solitary woman, never leaving her house and isolating herself from the world outside.
All of that changes when she acquires a mirror that comes with a djinn living inside it.
Tam has been trapped by his own will in the mirror for ages, but now the thing that he most wants is to be free and roam the world at his own will. For that to happen, a person has to give up her own wish and give the mirror to Tam.
After meeting Kat, he sees an opportunity to be free, but in the process of convincing this woman, he falls in love and is not sure anymore that he can walk away.

This story was very sweet and very eye opening for us reader's.
Here we have the chance to dwell in our minds the possibility to give a little more importance to our everyday life and our main abilities to live a normal life without any restrictions, give a little more credit to what surrounds us and take pleasure in little things of our everyday life.

Tam was a character that I liked and was interesting to see how he recognized an intelligent, brave and sexy woman, not being prejudicial with her disability.
Their love story was rapture in the true sense of the word and their involvement was so good to read.

Overall I loved this story and yes, love conquers all, in the pages of books that is.

Mary Wine "Paying Up"

This was without a doubt my kind of man and my kind of story.
I'm not going to go through the story, but if you want a hot alpha male, military kind, swept you off your feet and a girl overcoming her fears and realizing that her man came back to get her, with a happy ending, than this is also a story for you.

Lora Leigh "Cowboys and Captives"

I'm a big fan of Lora Leigh because I like what she comes up with and her male characters are always hot. Sometimes she does repeat herself in the stories but I never fail to look forward to the next book.

Here in "Cowboys and Captives", she gives us the story of a cowboy that conquers an Irish "witch", and the tale of an ancient Torque that is said to bring love and happiness to the blood line that has it.

OK, it was a bit fast paced but the story was well written, it brings us from the anticipation of what is going to happen to Angel to the fast growing change of heart of Jack.
Their relationship and encounters between the sheets fill the pages and leads us to the dream of the past, very wisely introduced, letting us comprehend the value of the piece in question.

The ending is also a catch that I didn't see coming and valued for the positive my evaluation of this story.

Overall, this anthologie was very good, three stories all of them different and unique, from very good authors to follow up later.
I on the other hand discovered Mary Wine and definitively are going to take a closer look to her books.


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Another DixieChix, this time Alexa

Her Double Delite Warriors by Dixie Lynn Dwyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this DixieChix story we are introduced to Alexa, a shy young woman that in her past has been abused by her uncles, making her attitude towards men and life in general a fearful one. She prefers to blend in the crowd then to stand out.

Working and living with her friends and sister has been good to win the feeling of being bruised but she still has a long way to go.

Brad and Michael are true military men, hard and dominating, alpha to the core, they are still in service and are used to count on each other.
When they realize that this DixieChix can become more important than anything in their lives, they wonder if this can make them heal from the nightmares of the war.
But first they have to convince Alexa that they can fulfill her heart and not hurt her, that they are worthy of her trust and love.

When a menace comes their way and takes Alexa into his evil, can they save her in time and keep the forever after in their hearts ?

I enjoyed this book in the same measure as I enjoyed the other ones, between the romance and the action, everything was balanced and into proportion.
M. Dwyer has the ability to write and picture in her books the perfect picture of the small town ambiance that I came so much to appreciate in the small town romances, with tradition and modernity coming hand in hand.

The plot line was believable enough. Nothing more normal for a military man to go undercover, and their fellow mates to come to the rescue.
Nothing more normal to screw with the bad guy and he will most likely come after you.

My emotions ran free on this one, innocence with trust and hot love in bed is always good for a good read, at least for me.
Alexa was the perfect innocent, sweet girl, with her hesitations and fears. A very true character in the sense of the story.
Now Brad and Michael are another story. The motto feel nothing, see nothing, say nothing is known to you ?
Well it is applicable to these two. The way that they change throughout the story and the track that they follow with Alexa is a heart worming change in the book.

Nothing complicated to tell you that reading this series is a good "waste of time" for me, if you haven't already picked it up, what are you waiting for ?


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Reading Challenges for 2013

So this year I've returned to the challenges that keep my imagination running and my mind spinning.
I've committed to keep track of what I'm reading, organize it, and achieving the goals that I put my will to pursue.
When coming to books, it's a pleasure :-) .

So, I'm reading 100 books in the Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge, feel free to send me a friend invite anytime.

http://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/727089

This year I'm also entering the the Young Adults Reading Group Challenge for 2013.

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/62676-young-adult-reads
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1137790-2013-year-long-reading-challenge

I'm going to try to add the widgets into my blog, let's see how it goes.

Until I see you again, good readings.

"Storm's Heart" Thea Harrison

Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Between the books that I usually read, from the different genres that I choose or am drawn to, there's always one that lingers with me down the road. It's always the one that capture's my heart and always the one that I find more difficult to write my thoughts about.

In "Storm's Heart", the fact that the variant factors of story, characters and an engaging scenery that keeps you on your toes and moving, overwhelm you, I find it difficult to put to words what my thoughts are. That's why I've been sort of neglecting this review, because I have so much to say that I'm not sure that I'm going to do a good job.

Now, with this out of the way ...

Tiago has been a warrior all his life, cold hearted, bruit force, and no patience for worldly matters that concern the issues of the heart. Loyal to his friends and hot headed, everyone knows what to expect from him.

When the dark fey Queen goes missing and is attacked by her own family like all those years ago, it's time for Tiago to step in and save the little devil.

Tricks has been at the safe haven of the Wyr all this years after her uncle murdered her hole family to take the throne.
Now, with the death of the king of dark fey, it's time to step forward and overcome her fears ruling her people and taking down those who have done her so much harm.

What both Tiago and Tricks don't need is an undeniable love that grows between them, and threatens to overwhelm their senses.
Can they achieve to rule a kingdom and save their hearts in the process ?

This book was very, very good. One of my favorites actually.
From Tiago to the Counsil, from death attempts to Tricks little spoiled nothings, all were beautifully written and weaved in a tale that my fingers wouldn't go fast enough turning the pages.

This time I'm going to tell you first what I didn't really, not like, but not liked very much.
I really didn't appreciate so much Tricks and her spoiled attitudes, I understood them, but I don't like spoiled attitudes and all the running from Tiago, what for ? But look at it this way, the fact that she annoyed me and got me sometimes mad is the proof that the book is well written and achieved the objective.

Now, Tiago, that one was  true to himself. Even though this alpha was crazy to have his mate, and found almost overwhelming to be apart from Tricks, he walks the road of love and tries to go half way, so ... good for him.

All the characters worked beautifully together and blended into the fast paced action of the story.

So, because I would be writing all night long about this and that and I would always have something to say, instead, I will say this: read the book or re-read it, doesn't matter, it's a great story, a great love, a great alpha (I want one of these for myself), and on and on I go.


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[Book Blast] Silver-White by Shawn Underhill - $100 Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway!

[Book Blast] Silver-White by Shawn Underhill - $100 Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway!

The Wolf and the Cameleon

Thea Harrison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So, this one I'm going to keep it on a short leash ....

It is a novella, and in my eyes it's way too short and obvious.
I gave it a 4 stars because I enjoy very much the writing style of M. Harrison and above all, I was not disappointed.

In this story we find Alice Clark, a school teacher, Wyr kind, that after visiting a friend, is faced with her murder by a serial killer and everything points out that she's next on her list.
At the crime scene she has a surprise that frightens her in the beginning and triggers her to run. She is followed by someone that could be the killer but he is also her mate.

Gideon is investigating this murders and wants to catch the killer before he kills again.
Everything comes to a halt when he sees Alice and realizes that she is his mate, only if she stopped running from him ....

Together they will have to work to put an end to the killings and at the same time manage not to consume each other with their passion.

I enjoyed the characters and I liked the way the plot developed in the story, it was balanced between the suspense of who was the killer and the relationship between Alice and Gideon.

What I'm making a point here is that the story as a hole was too short, the fact that they looked at each other and realized that they were mates, point taken, was a little too fast,(I usually like to read something that is growing to the point of explosion and then Bum!), and the chase took a lot of the story, it was too long.
So, boy meet's girl, falls in love because it's destined to be that way, and forever after is right around the corner.

Overall, this novella was an adding to the series that complemented it with a little more love.
As I said in the beginning, I'm a fan of Thea Harrison's style of writing and the 4 stars was in part knowing that the other books won't disappoint me.


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Author Georgia Cates: Reveal for Beauty From Pain

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