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Saturday, February 18, 2012

ARC Review: Undeniably Yours by Shannon Stacey

I really enjoyed reading this book, in fact I found it hard to put down. I was just so engrossed with what was happening in the story and I just wanted to see how everything turned out that I found myself quickly turning the pages. I just enjoyed getting to know the characters so much. I found myself completely in love with Kevin and I can only hope that if I were to become pregnant my boyfriend would be as kind and understanding as he is.

Kevin is a bar owner and lately hasn't been all that interested in hooking up with the random women that throw themselves at him. When a chance encounter with Beth doesn't go all that well he's left with regret. Luckily, fate is on his side and while at a family wedding he encounters Beth again. Kevin hasn't been able to stop thinking about Beth and is determined to spend some time with her.

Beth should be furious with Kevin, because of him she lost her job. Too bad she can't stop thinking about him. When she encounters him again she knows she should keep her distance but she can't and when Kevin invites her up to his rooms she can't resist. After a steamy night spent together, Beth leaves the next morning without a note or a goodbye. When Beth becomes pregnant she knows she must tell Kevin even though she knows he probably won't be happy about the circumstances.

Kevin is still reeling from Beth's dismissal. He hasn't been able to stop thinking about her and can't believe she would just leave while he was sleeping. When Beth shows up at the bar weeks later and breaks the news that she's pregnant he quickly warms up to the idea of being a father. He even tries to convince Beth that they should try to date.

I really enjoyed this book and I loved seeing Kevin's perspective on things. He quickly warms up to the idea of being a father and wants to take care of Beth and their unborn baby. He was kind, caring and an all-around lovable guy. The patience he had with Beth was astounding.

I'll be honest and say Beth wasn't my favorite throughout the story. I just found her to be so standoffish. I understand that she is a loner and doesn't like to rely on other, but seriously, did she have to be like that throughout the whole book? I just found it took her so long to finally see all the great things in front of her. She just kept trying to push Kevin away and poor Kevin would just tolerate it because he just wanted to be with her. I find that so commendable.

I also enjoyed being able to 'meet' the rest of the Kowalski's. They reminded me a lot of my extended family. Another favorite of mine was Paulie. I absolutely adored her and I was so happy to see how things turned out with her.

After reading this book I will definitely be adding Shannon Stacey to my auto buy list. I really enjoyed her voice along with her cast of characters and I would love to read more from her. I especially hope to read more about the Kowalski's in the future.

**ARC copy provided by NetGalley**

RATING:

Guest Post with Author Deena Remiel and Giveaway


Today I would like to welcome author Deena Remiel to the blog. Deena is currently on tour promoting the release of her newest book RELIC and has stopped by today to share with us. Before I give the floor to Deena lets get to know her a bit. 

My name is Deena Remiel, and I am an author of paranormal romance and poetry. I also teach language arts to middle schoolers. Curiously, I find myself writing all sorts of correspondence for my family and friends, but they are everything to me, and frequently serve as fodder for elements of my novels, poems, and posts. They take it all in stride, though, and with good humor. So, it's really a perfect give and take relationship! I belong to RWA national and the Desert Rose Chapter of RWA, where there are outstanding people writing fabulous stories.

I grew up in Philadelphia, home of the most amazing soft pretzels, oh and the Liberty Bell. It was incredible to be living there during its Bicentennial celebration. My husband and I began our own family in New Jersey, and just a few short years ago, Arizona called to my spirit and tempted my husband with much better weather! We moved our family, and the rest is history, or the present, as the case may be!

These are a few of my favorite things: writing and reading of course, chocolate, music with lyrics or melodies that speak to me, soaking baths, singing in the shower, dancing with my buds, romantic dancing with my hubbie, scrapbooking, watching my girls enjoy what they love to do, and laughing at jokes.

Places to find Deena:
Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |

Corsets, Kisses & Kleypas Blog Hop


Welcome to my stop on the Corsets, Kisses & Kleypas Blog Hop. Like most romance readers, I ADORE Lisa Kleypas and I'm happy to be part of this blog hop. This blog hop was organized by Under The Covers Book Blog and Lisa's Divas and will run from February 18th - 28th. 


Up for grabs:

I will be giving away a copy of Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor to 2 lucky winners (US ONLY). In addition to the book, 1 lucky person will win a "Lisa's Diva's" black tank top (size L).


Don't forget to check out the other stops in the blog hop. Lots of chances to win some great Lisa Kleypas goodies. For a list of the blogs participating go here.

Good Luck =)

Friday, February 17, 2012

Review: The Making of a Gentleman by Shana Galen

Oh my goodness how I loved this book. If you haven't read this book stop what you are doing and run out and get a copy. It was so good and I am now officially obsessed with Armand! I was captivated with this story from the first page. I just couldn't put this book down. I just had to know what was going to happen with Armand and Felicity.

Armand is a scarred and damaged man. After being imprisoned for twelve years he doesn't know how to cope with everyday life. He doesn't speak and the gentlest touch brings him pain. His family insists on hiring him a tutor to help him with polite society. When Armand first meets Felicity, he is instantly entranced by her beauty. She awakens something in him he has never felt before, passion. All he wants is to be close to her regardless of society's rules and with Felicity's help, Armand knows that he can face the demons of his past.

Felicity is calm, understanding and wants nothing more than to help Armand heal and forget his past. She knows that she shouldn't have feeling for Armand but the more time she spends with him, the harder she begins to fall. From the first moment between Felicity and Armand, you could feel the electricity between the two. The passion they both possess towards the other is instant and I loved reading to see how things would turn out.

I know I've already said it, but I loved Armand. I loved that he doesn't beat around the bush. He's upfront and in your face with what he wants, and he wants Felicity. And I love that he is never ashamed of it. The passion between these two just jumps off the page, but what I love most, is that it's not only passion between these two. Both care deeply for one another and will do anything they can to keep the other one safe.

After finishing The Making of a Gentleman, I definitely can't wait to start reading the next book in this series, The Rogue Pirate's Bride. This book was just so good and I am dying to see how The Sons of the Revolution trilogy ends.

RATING:

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway Hop


Welcome to the Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway Hop. This hop was organized by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Read For Your Future and will run from February 17th - 21st.

I will be having 2 different giveaways. One will be for US entries only and another will be of International entries only. Please, enter the correct giveaway.

Up for grabs:

US Giveaway


  • Firelight - Sophie Jordan
  • The Iron King - Julie Kagawa
  • No Proper Lady - Isabel Cooper
  • Blood Eternal - Marie Treanor
  • 1 $5 Gift Card from either Amazon or Barnes and Noble
  • 1 Bag of Swag


International Giveaway

  • 1 $10 book of choice from The Book Depository

There are more than 180 different blogs participating, so there are plenty of chances to win something. So make sure to check out the blog hop list and hop over to some of the other blogs.

Good Luck =)

Interview with Author Dani Harper and Giveaway


Today I would like to welcome to the blog author Dani Harper. Dani is the author of the Changeling series, a super hot series about the Macleod's, a family of shapeshifter wolves and their friends. Dani let me ask her some questions and I would love share them with you all, but first lets meet Dani.

Dani Harper is a newspaper editor turned paranormal author. There isn't anything she likes better than exploring the supernatural -- unless it's writing sizzling and suspenseful romance. Of course, all of her stories have at least one foot in the netherworld.

A Canadian who spent many years in northern Alberta, Dani now lives on an island in southeast Alaska! She and her husband operate a commercial fishing boat, and her stories are written on land or at sea, with the help of her executive secretary, Fiona the Pug.

Dani currently has a hot new shapeshifter series published by Kensington Brava. Look for Changeling Moon, Changeling Dream and Changeling Dawn wherever books are sold.

Places to find Dani:
Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Review: Lothaire by Kresley Cole

When I received my long-awaited copy of Lothaire in the mail, I was ecstatic. Kresley Cole is definitely one of my favorite books and I might not have been super keen to read a book about Lothaire, I do love all of her books. I have many conflicting emotions now that I've finished this book. I actually put this book down a few times in the past week out of frustration and as of last night when I still had about 100 pages to go, this book was a firm 3 star rating. But now that I've finished the book it has definitely gone up to a solid 4 stars. In those last 100 pages I was finally able to understand Lothaire and I even began to like him a bit.

Lothaire is a jackass! There I said it. I just figured I'd get that out there. I actually spent most of the book really not liking him at all. For me what saved this book was Elizabeth. She saved this book for me. I loved her and she has quickly become one of my favorite heroines from Kresley Cole. She is spunky, loyal, smart, funny, caring and she stands up for herself. She doesn't back down when it comes to Lothaire and I loved that. I feel that she really was the perfect match for Lothaire. He needed someone to bring him down a notch and make him realize that he doesn't know everything and he isn't always right. I love that even though Lothaire thought she was so wrong for him, she was just so right. 

I seriously wanted to slap Lothaire quite a few times. But I have to give credit to Kresley, Lothaire stayed true to who he was and the type of person we have all come to know from the previous books. I think that if he would have had a complete transformation and redemption it wouldn't have been believable. The way everything went down worked so well and made me a fan. Lothaire still might not be my favorite hero in this series but there are a few moments in the book that his actions tug at my heart strings. Though it was also hard to read some scenes with him and Elizabeth together. He really doesn't know how to treat others correctly and I know it's because he was never shown warmth and love but it was still hard to see him treat Elizabeth as if she's a pet. 

I could try to summarize this book, but I really don't want to. What stands out the most to me is Lothaire. I might not have enjoyed him so much, but I did enjoy being a viewer of his 'world'. I liked being able to see what he is like in his element and what he cares about. In previous books he was such an enigma to me. I didn't really know what his plans were or what he was after or even who he really was. I get him now and I look forward to seeing more of him in future books. 

RATING:

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Sealed With a Kiss: Jenn LeBlanc and Giveaway

Jenn is a novelist and photographer born, raised and living in the lee of the great Rocky Mountains. Her illustrated Novel THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE was originally released in February of 2011 to rave reviews and snarky comments. She recently revised the entire novel, turning it into a six-part serial with all new material and the never before released story of Perry, The Rake.

Places to find Jenn:
Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |  Tumblr(NSFW) |

Monday, February 13, 2012

Secrets of an Accidental Duchess Winners

Congratulations to: 

Jamie M
June M
Diane S

On winning a copy of Secrets of an Accidental Duchess by Jennifer Haymore courtesy Forever Romance

All winners have been contacted via email. Thanks to everyone that has entered.

Sealed With a Kiss: Caroline Linden and Giveaway

Caroline Linden knew from an early age she was a reader, but not a writer. Despite an addiction to Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew, she studied physics and dreamed of being an astronaut. She earned a math degree from Harvard College and then wrote software for a financial services firm, all the while reading everything in sight, but especially romance. Only after she had children, and found herself with only picture books to read, did she begin to make up a story of her own. To her immense surprise, it turned out to be an entire novel--and it was much more fun than writing computer code. Seven years, eight books, two Red Sox championships, and on dog later, she has never been happier with her decision. She lives with her family in New England.

Place to find Caroline:

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Sealed With a Kiss: Shana Galen and Giveaway

Shana Galen is the author of numerous fast-paced adventurous Regency historical romances, including the Rita-nominated Blackthorne’s Bride. Her books have been sold worldwide, including Japan, Brazil, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and the Netherlands, and have been featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. A former English teacher in Houston’s inner city, Shana now writes full time. She’s a wife, a mother, and an expert multi-tasker.

Places to find Shana: