An all e-book edition! Woo.
Also, I didn't get the 8/26 recap done before leaving for a Labor Day weekend vacation extravaganza so this is a double-spectacular-bonus-edition. Woo.
I'm done wooing now. I promise. Anyways...
The Best...
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| The Pirate Next Door - Jennifer Ashley |
I usually don't care much for pirates. Pirate-speak makes me want to stab someone. Also, I find that "pirate" is often used as shorthand for "overbearing asshole who does whatever he wants."
None of that here. What is here, though, is a sexy next door neighbor who has a really hard time buttoning his shirt up all of the way (hee), an exceptionally sensible and smart heroine, and lots of crafty pirate intrigue. There's also some very fun shipboard sexytimes and lots and lots of unabashed pirate nudity. Ah, pirate nudity. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to read lots more by Jennifer Ashley.
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| The Unforgettable Husband - Michelle Reid |
Amnesia! Angry alpha male! Awesomeness.
The overbearing tycoon male leads are the main appeal of a Harlequin Presents novel. My favorite ones have fiery tempestuous ladies to complement them. Thus, I loved this one.
The heroine, still suffering from amnesia and other physical ailments a year after a serious car accident, doesn't realize she's fiery and tempestuous. All she needs is her forgotten husband to jog her memories by continuously pushing her buttons and pissing her off. Seriously entertaining angsty melodrama ensues. I need to read more of Michelle Reid's backlist as this is the third book by her that I have thoroughly enjoyed.
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| Becoming Miss Becky - Shannon Stacey |
When meek Rebecca finds that she's unexpectedly inherited a brothel, she
decides to embrace her new life.. and the sexy sheriff who has vowed to
keep his distance from "painted ladies" lest one be his downfall.
This sounds an awful lot like the plot of "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas," and I'm pretty sure that's entirely intentional. The two whorehouses both have "chicken" in their names, for goodness' sake.
I rented the movie a few years ago because I figured that singing hookers and Dolly Parton was pretty safe bet. Turns out I was wrong. That movie drove me nuts. I was spitting mad and wanted to throw things by the time the ending rolled around and one character had to completely sacrifice herself for her happy ending and lots of other characters ended up out on the streets with little prospects for finding safe living and/or employment situations. Blerg.
This book, however, takes the premise and fixes all of the issues I had with the original film. I really loved that the two leads had to find a way to both compromise so that they could be together. Now I need to go back and read the book that preceded this one.
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| Crux (Southern Arcana #1) - Moira Rogers |
Pheww, I sure have been on a Moira Rogers kick (see yet another short story review below). This one's a full-length paranormal romance novel.
A woman on the run from a malevolent force she doesn't understand the smallest thing about finds herself amidst a friendly group of supernaturals in the French Quarter of New Orleans, one of whom is a very attractive spell caster. Interesting world building, an appealing cast of characters, and some very fun sexy times ensues.
I thought the book was a little exposition heavy but am chalking that up to "first-book-in-a-series-itis." I picked this book up when it was offered as a free read and it definitely got me hooked and I plan on continuing with the series.
The Rest...
Capelli's Captive Virgin by Sarah Morgan: I have loved Sarah Morgan's most recent books but am finding myself less enthused as I make my way through her backlist. This one was alright, but I felt like I was reading the same conversation over and over and over again the whole time and that got old fast. Also, the "Mommy issues" were super annoying. There, I said it.
Please Don't Stop The Music by Jane Lovering: I really wanted to like this book but found that I really didn't. The two main characters are broken individuals who are both desperately afraid of being vulnerable and letting people in. The more I think about, the larger the holes in the plot get and the more this book looks like a giant hunk of swiss cheese. I didn't believe in the characters or in their emotions. This one just didn't work for me at all.
Married By Mistake by Abby Gaines: Cute contemporary. Nice free read from Harlequin. This was a nice way to spend a Saturday morning, but I don't think I'll be searching out any more of the author's work.
Tequila Sunrise (Last Call #3) by Moira Rogers: Yup, I couldn't resist another one. This one has a werewolf couple in need of a little sex therapy because their wolf natures are getting in the way of their human desires. Threesome werewolf power-play sexytimes ensue. I especially loved that neither dude in the threesome acted like the other dude had cooties (sadly, the "my side, your side" mentality is a super common thing in erotic romance and I hate it).
Beautiful Mess by Lucy V. Morgan: This is another short free novella. The heroine is a mess after a breakup and eventually finds an unexpected new romantic opportunity. British. Witty. Probably a little bit in poor taste for some, but it amused me.
Notable DNF's:
The Italian's Inexperienced Mistress by Lynn Graham: When the hero finds himself thinking "For a split second the entire scenario felt tacky" I had a brief glimpse of hope. Then he poops all over this brief moment of enlightenment and continues to be a jerkface. The heroine going along with his plans made no sense. DNF.
The Bartered Virgin: Wow. This was bad. It reminded me a lot of a child stringing together a bunch of bad words just to get a reaction. I skimmed to the dirty bits just for curiosity's sake. Nothing good there, I assure you. DNF.
Next Up: You probably didn't notice that many of the books in this wrap-up start with either a "B" or a "C". Well, they do. I've been trying an alphabetical approach to working through my digital backlog. I skipped "A" because that letter had a nearly 500-page 90's historical romance in it but I've backtracked to that so expect a light load next week.
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