Thirsty Thursdays (5/6)

In honor of long ago college Thursdays, nights spent with friends in Armadillo Grill eating chicken nachos and consuming mixed drinks (Adult Kool-Aid anyone?) I've decided to implement Thirsty Thurdays. These posts are going to highlight some of my favorite shots/shooters/mixed drinks and include links so you can make them on your own time!

**DISCLAIMER: Any type of alcoholic beverage should be consumed in safe amounts and no one should ever attempt to drive a car or any other type of machinery while intoxicated.***

This week I'm going to talk about a shooter I had for the first time in Dublin that is really sweet but REALLY good - The Baby Guinness. It's called a 'Guinness' because the combination of coffee liquor and Baileys creates a shooter with a dark bottom and a light, cream colored head: just like an actual Guinness.

I was taught to make this with Tia Maria but I think any coffee liquor will work - and changing up the flavor of Baileys you use is another way to customize this to your tastes. I love making this drink with regular Baileys, but I've got to admit that caramel flavored is the BOMB!

Wild Fire by Christine Feehan

Called on a dangerous assignment, leopard shifter Conner Vega returns to the Panama rainforest of his homeland, looking every bit the civilized male. But as a member of the most lethal of the shifter tribes, he doesn’t have a civilized bone in his body. He carries the scent of a wild animal in its prime, he bears the soul-crushing sins of past kills--and he’s branded by the scars of shame inflicted by the woman he betrayed.

Isabeau Chandler’s a Borneo shifter who’s never forgiven Conner--or forgotten him. The mating urge is still with her, and when she crosses Connor’s path, passions run like wild fire. But as Connor’s mission draws Isabeau closer, another betrayal lies waiting in the shadows--and it’s the most perilous and intimate one of all.

Christine Feehan always knows how to write me a good book. I've always been partial to paranormals, and shapeshifters are probably my favorite when featured in a romance, and Feehan knows how to do them oh so well. Her Leopard series features Alpha men with hearts and women who won't take anybody's sh*t. In this particular book I'd have to say that Feehan definitely ups the violence level, though it is completely appropriate to the storyline. Not only does Connor get a beating on multiple occasions, Isabeau also gets pretty mangled by one of the bad guys. I'd have to say that with time I've seen Feehan's heroes get much more drawn into the line of fire in her books, and I think while it's hard for me to read at the time it's an example of the growth that she shows as an author that her characters are forced to overcome those types of harrowing experiences (Hidden Currents anyone?).

And still Feehan doesn't forget the romance that is for me the reason I pick up her books. Even though Connor and Isabeau get off to a rocky start, their attraction and emotional attachment is palpable from the beginning. Throughout the story they are forced to confront not only bad guys but how they interact with each other. It's a great book and a fantastic series, and while you don't have to read the ones that come before Wild Fire, I feel like your enjoyment would be that much more if you took the time.

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up. This might start overtaking Feehan's other books as my favorite series, because every installment is always fantastic!

Series - 1) Fantasy (anthology) 2) Wild Rain 3) Fever 4) Burning Wild 5) Wild Fire

Teaser Tuesday (5/4)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"The club reeked of sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll."

--pg 1, Touch of Surrender by Rhyannon Byrd

On my Radar

Here's just a random post with a couple of e-books by Maya Banks that I can't wait to read!!

Musing Mondays (5/3)

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about used books.

Do you frequent second hand book stores? Have you ever bought a book home only to find anything interesting within their pages?

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Musing Mondays post, or share your opinion in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

**MUSING MONDAYS is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page...

I frequent used book stores quite a bit - though I've never gotten as lucky as you Rebecca! I usually consider myself lucky if I happen upon the latest in a series or that book I've been wanting to read but refused to pay full price for! No hidden money - especially not foreign money!

Lately I've been having a lot of fun visiting library book sales. The books are usually in better condition than normal, I think because people who donate to libraries are those who are more inclined to treat their books well. The first sale I went to had books for half-off the original used price and then the one I stumbled upon on Saturday was $5/bag of books! Per bag! If I hadn't been on a mission and walking around with no hope of a ride, I would definitely have been greedier with that one.

No Greater Pleasure by Megan Hart

From the national bestselling author of Pleasure and Purpose, a provocative new novel of a woman who lives to serve...

It was at the request of Lord Gabriel Delessan that a handmaiden of the Order of Solace be delivered to his manor house. For young and ingenuous Tranquilla Caden, it would be her new position of service - devoted as she was to fulfilling every demand of her new master, to stimulating his mind, stirring his soul, and arousing his body. Yet something happens that Quilla never counted on: she was falling hopelessly, dangerously in love with the enigmatic - and very married - man she was required only to service.

I picked this book up for two reasons - I recognized the author from DHABA's Book Bracket and because Borders had it for $3.99. I'm so glad that I went for it because it was an incredible read and very different from what I was expecting. Yes it was in the romance section, but I figured I was picking up an erotica - one with a different type of premise maybe, but an erotica just the same. Instead I picked up a very well written book with unique character interactions and a relationship that was more than just physical.

Now don't get me wrong; I enjoy erotica just as much as the next girl, but this book was so much more than that. Quilla is not a woman called for just to assuage a physical ache - she is there to try and offer true solace, incorporating the full meaning of that word. Not only is it hard enough to do that when there's a wife in the picture, it's even harder when the person who called you doesn't really understand the type of solace he needs. Adding to that picture, as I continued to read the book I was frequently reminded of Jane Eyre. I think it was the combination of Quilla's semi-submissive air with Gabriel's gruff but appealing exterior. Combine that with a crazy wife and a dark, almost depressive air, over the entire house and it all just made me think of Jane Eyre! I want everyone to understand that the sentiment is a compliment to Hart because that book is one of my all time favorites.

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up. Not what I was expecting, but the emotional connection between Quilla and Gabriel is very compelling and makes for a VERY interesting read!

Series - 1) Pleasure and Purpose 2) No Greater Pleasure 3) Selfish is the Heart (October 2010)

Looking Back: April in Review

I know it's still a couple days late, but I should still get some credit right? This summary post is a lot more recent than last month's. I think that's mostly because my life is finally calming down a bit (happy dance!).

In other news, I've actually been visiting a couple different library book sales this month and I specifically picked up titles for giveaways! I know that they're not brand spanking new but some of them definitely look that way - plus, it's the thought that counts right? And who can resist a free good book that you didn't even have to pay shipping for? Keep checking back for more information!

Summer in Eclipse Bay by Jayne Ann Krentz
Dawn in Eclipse Bay by Jayne Ann Krentz
The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop
The Donovan Legacy by Nora Roberts
Enchanted by Nora Roberts
Lion's Heat by Lora Leigh
The Devil's Playground by Jenna Black
Touch of Seduction by Rhyannon Byrd
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
Changes by Jim Butcher
The Royal Treatment by MaryJanice Davidson
The Royal Mess by MaryJanice Davidson
Storm Warning by Mercedes Lackey
Storm Rising by Mercedes Lackey
Storm Breaking by Mercedes Lackey
The Good, The Bad, and the Uncanny by Simon R. Green
Family Man by Jayne Ann Krentz
Wishes by Jude Deveraux
The Invitation by Jude Deveraux
No Greater Pleasure by Megan Hart
Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson