Thirsty Thursdays (5/13)

Thirsty Thursdays is hosted by Dana at Reading Amidst the Chaos and anyone can join in!

To share in the debauchery just think of one of your favorite alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages and say why you love it and how to make it! You can link to your own blog or leave a comment below with your choice, but please include the mixology of whatever it is so that other people can give it a try!

This week I'm going to highlight the first drink I liked after turning 21 - the Amaretto Sour. I know, I know - it's heralded as one of those too sweet girly drinks most of the time, but I still think it deserves some love! Who says that whatever alcoholic beverage you're indulging in can't also taste good? Beer might, *might*, have it's time and place but I always think a good, tart, amaretto sour can definitely hit the spot.

P.S - I have tried many other brands of amaretto besides the much hyped Disaronno, so don't be afraid to experiment with something less pricey!

Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

New Love takes the cake in the third novel in Nora Roberts's new Bride Quartet-in a stunning French flap edition

Wedding baker Laurel McBane is surrounded by romance working at Vows wedding planning company with her best friends Parker, Emma, and Mac. But she's too low-key to appreciate all the luxuries that their clients seem to long for. What she does appreciate is a strong, intelligent man, a man just like Parker's older brother Delaney, on whom she's had a mega-crush since childhood.

But some infatuations last longer than others, and Laurel is convinced that the Ivy League lawyer is still out of her reach. Plus, Del is too protective of Laurel to ever cross the line with her-or so she thinks. When Laurel's quicksilver moods get the better of her-leading to an angry, hot, all-together mind-blowing kiss with Del-she'll have to quiet the doubts in her mind to turn a moment of passion into forever...

I'm so excited to be able to say that this series is starting to pick up for me. I'm going to say upfront that I have higher standards for Nora Roberts- she is one of the queens of romance authors and I just feel that with all of the great books that she has written that mediocre releases don't cut it. Vision in White was mediocre. It just was. It didn't have the spark, the emotional tug, that most of Roberts books have. It certainly didn't have the type of reader engagement that a series starter should have to keep the audience buying - especially when the quartet is going to be released in trade paper.

I bought (and kept) it more as a lark, as something that was automatic because of who Roberts' is. Luckily that first book wasn't a true indicator of the series and as each successive book has come out, the romances have become more believable and the stories more enjoyable. Laurel and Del are a wonderful to read about and have a fantastic chemistry. Instead of feeling like I had to force myself to finish, I found myself worried that the big 'conflict' that they had to get over was going to be too big! I wanted them to have their happy ending NOW and not one moment later! At this point I highly recommend the books to others, though the first is more background than anything else and I still wish the books had been released in mass market.

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up. This series is improving with age and really starting to distinguish itself as one of Roberts' most memorable.

Series - 1) Vision in White 2) Bed of Roses 3) Savor the Moment 4) Happy Ever After (November 2010)

Code Name: Baby by Christina Skye

Battle-honed Navy SEAL Wolfe Houston is on a mission of national security: protect valuable government assets targeted by hostiles. But tracking down four genetically enhanced service dogs and guarding their furry backs 24/7 is going to take all of Wolfe's tactical skills.

The dogs' unsuspecting civilian trainer, Kit O'Halloran, doesn't know that deadly mercernaries are determined to kidnap her charges. With puppies to find and bullets to dodge, there's no time to waste--so why is Kit pressed against an adobe wall by moonlight, reveling in the hot magic of Wolfe's slow, skillful hands?

Wolfe is fascinated by Kit's devotion to her puppies, especially Baby, the incorrigible runt of the litter. But two other civilian trainers have died under strange circumstances—and a foreign government has just posted a staggering bounty for Kit's capture. Before Wolfe can explore their white hot attraction, the two are on the run, forced to guess which of their secret contacts is friend...and which is deadliest foe. Only Baby can lead them through the storm to safe haven in each other's arms. Good dog!

I picked this book up kind of randomly at a library book sale a few weeks ago - it sounded like books I'd read before the and the author's name was familiar to me, though I hadn't actually read anything by her. After finishing it I'm so glad I spent my $.50! This book is definitely better than the 'fluff'-ness I think the cover implies. It's more of a military/paranormal romance because Wolfe and the dogs have been enhanced by military means and have various extraordinary powers because of that.

Also the relationship between Kit and Wolfe is nice and complex. While they might have known each other when they were younger, at this point Kit is not willing to trust that Wolfe just showed up at this time for no reason other than to 'check up on her'. Instead her dog training abilities have drawn her into an espionage filled game of cat and mouse and Wolfe is the only one who can possibly get her out of it! Hahahaha, I sound like the book jacket now don't I?

Whatever - what matters is that the book is a lot of fun and a quick read. I'd definitely recommend that you give it a try!

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up! This was a great book, unexpectedly full of depth and with the kind of stand out characters that distinguish a contemporary romance from the rest of the pack.

Series - 1) Code Name: Nanny 2) Code Name: Princess 3) Code Name: Baby 4) Code Name: Blondie

Teaser Tuesdays (5/11)

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!

"He wanted to know what was going on with the cervix and the vagina during a typical round of bonk. Obviously, there are logistical problems here. You can't see the hangar when the airship's in the building. William Masters needed a penis that could see.

And so he had one built."

--pg 44, bonk by Mary Roach

Musing Mondays (5/10)

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about finding time to read.

Do you have to carve out time in your day for reading (due to work and other obligations), or does your reading just happen naturally? (Question courtesy of MizB)

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 think it depends. I've found that lately that reading is sometimes the only thing that holds me together in the midst of crazy, stressful times. Normally I don't have to carve out time to read. I'll do it at my desk (luckily I have a job that allows that) or when I'm waiting for the bus, on the bus, before I go to bed....there are a lot of times I find myself able to read.

When things are REALLY bad though, when I actually don't have time to read like I regularly do, I notice the change in my mood almost immediately. I'm moodier and just generally unhappier than usual. I'm sure this has to do with my ability to lose myself in what I'm reading - even when things around me suck, I can trust that a good book with a happy ending will bring me out of it. I think other than that, the only time that I feel like I have to carve out time to read it's because I feel bad that I don't like a book and want to try to finish it anyway.

I get it now!

Sing-a-Long Fridays (5/7)

I've decided that everyone enjoys a little pick me up on Fridays. It's the end of the week, a lot of us are stuck in the office with little to no time to ourselves, and it's hard to remember why we ever cared about the work we have to finish. Well to help us all down that road to the weekend, I decided a sing-a-long was in order - because who can be snoozing when they're already grooving?

The inaugural song to Sing-a-Long Fridays is one that has always been a favorite of mine: "If I Never Knew You" from Pocahontas. While not technically in the movie, it's featured on the Special Edition version of the DVD and is my pick for one of the most romantic songs ever.

What are your favorite romantic songs?