Teaser Tuesdays (6/12)

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!

"I don't know what the hell it is yet, but there's something. So, we ride it out, see what happens"

"I don't know how to do that. I told you."

He picked up his coffee again, stepped over to kiss her on the cheek. " It looks to me like you're doing it just fine. Where's the syrup?"

--pg 213, The Witness by Nora Roberts

Hidden Crimes by Emma Holly

Cats and dogs shouldn't fall in love. Like any wolf, detective Nate Rivera knows this. He can’t help it if the tigress he’s been trading quips with at the supermarket is the most alluring woman he’s ever met—sassy too, which suits him down to his designer boots.

Evina Mohajit is aware their flirtation can’t lead to more. Still, she relishes trading banter with the hot werewolf. This hardworking single mom hasn’t felt so female since her twins’ baby daddy left to start his new family. Plus, as a station chief in Resurrection’s Fire Department, she understands the demands of a dangerous job.

Their will-they-or-won’t-they tango could go on forever if it weren’t for the mortal peril the city’s shifter children fall into. To save them, Nate and Evina must team up, a choice that ignites the sparks smoldering between them . . .

~~

Let me start with a little (invisible to you) happy dance for the return of the Shifters!  I like the Fae in Holly's Hidden series but the earthiness and honesty of shifters keep them at the top of my favorites list; it's not so much their 'mate at first sight' tendencies but the fact that intrigue and deceit doesn't come naturally to them. Erotic romances highlighting those characters usually tend to have less drama and more focus on making the relationship work with what they have at hand. 

The relationship between Nate and Evina, while complicated due to their being different species, is not dramatic. They have physical feelings towards each other (with a little bit of baggage) that turns into something more. The sparks between them are off the charts and as they traverse the intertwined worlds of their careers they stumble onto a big secret. A big secret that unsurprisingly not everyone wants them to look into. As a reader who loved Hidden Talents I liked how Holly brought both Ari and Adam into this story, even if Adam acted like an ass for some of it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance as it has good doses of both action and heartfelt emotion.

Overall Feeling - A+

Series - 1) Hidden Talents 2) Hidden Depths 3) Move Me 4) Hidden Crimes

**Title provided by author for review consideration**

Mini Me: Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

Adria, wolf changeling and resilient soldier, has made a break with the past--one as unpredictable in love as it was in war. Now comes a new territory, and a devastating new complication: Riaz, a SnowDancer lieutenant already sworn to a desperate woman who belongs to another.

For Riaz, the primal attraction he feels for Adria is a staggering betrayal. For Adria, his dangerous lone-wolf appeal is beyond sexual. It consumes her. It terrifies her. It threatens to undermine everything she has built of her new life. But fighting their wild compulsion toward one another proves a losing battle.

Their coming together is an inferno...and a melding of two wounded souls who promise each other no commitment, no ties, no bonds. Only pleasure. Too late, they realize that they have more to lose than they ever imagined. Drawn into a cataclysmic Psy war that may alter the fate of the world itself, they must make a decision that might just break them both.

~~

I'm not sure about any of you guys but I hate this cover. I think it looks more than a little ridiculous, I guess because it's so old school? Luckily the story itself is a great one so I'm willing to forgive the cover artist for lackluster vision.

I'm keeping it short and sweet because I think Adria and Riaz's relationship speaks for itself. Both of them are overcoming some serious emotional scars to make things work and it's a bumpy ride accordingly. Their HEA doesn't just happen the second their eyes meet; both have to learn to trust and move on, which is never the easiest. The developments of the Psy civil war are still interesting and written incredibly well even when I want to yell at something to make it happen faster. Not really faster in the world of these books but faster I guess in terms of when those books reach me. Selfish I know, but at least I can admit it.

I would not say this book is a stand alone, much too much has happened and this book brings back quite a few characters from previous books, but I consider the whole series is a must read so I don't think it's too unbearable :).

May in Review

Hmmm...May. What can I say about May? The end of it was pretty awesome as far as Memorial Day Weekends go and hey, I got to go the Gaithersburg Book Festival! Since I did a whole blog post about it I'm sure it's not a surprise when I say that was a blast but that was another big thing for me this month. Hearing Jenny Lawson speak in person was fantastic, as her crazy has spoken to my crazy for a while now

Guarding Jess by Shannon Curtis

Let Me In by Callie Croix

In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz

Once and  Again by Lauren Dane

The Search by Nora Roberts

Dark Symphony by Christine Feehan

Dead Reckoning by Christine Feehan

Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

Bride of the Rat God by Barbara Hambly

Coming Undone by Lauren Dane

Never Enough by Lauren Dane

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

Diamond in the Rough by Diana Palmer

Legacy by Jayne Ann Krentz

Lucky in Love by Jill Shalvis

Cordina's Royal Family by Nora Roberts

Dawn in Eclipse Bay by Jayne Ann Krentz

Follow My Lead by Kate Noble

Storm Warning by Mercedes Lackey

Storm Rising by Mercedes Lackey

Storm Breaking by Mercedes Lackey

P.S. - Random aside, but did you know you could be smelling like a book right now? Crazy! I'm not sure I'd enjoy smelling like a book, I like smelling books on books, but I might be interested if they'd put it in a room spray, lol.

Just for Kicks by Susan Andersen

Las Vegas showgirl Carly Jacobsen keeps learning the hard way that her idea of fun differs radically from that of her neighbor Wolfgang Jones. Sure, he looks incredible, and he seems to have a thing for her legs, but the man's a robot. So what's with their chemistry?

Wolf has a plan for his life, and it doesn't include finding himself tempted by the freewheeling Carly…mile-high legs or not. Yet in a moment of weakness, the two discover at least one area where they do both have fun. But outside the bedroom the stakes are getting higher, and love might come down to a roll of the dice…

~~

I'm not completely positive I haven't read this book before but I'm going to try and write this anyway....bear with me?

Readers are introduced to Carly and Wolfgang after they've been neighbors for a little while - which I love because they're not friends per se, but I don't have to deal with a sluggish 'this is how we met' explanation. Instead it's a quick story with a lot of action. Carly and Wolf have great snappy dialogue and the sparks between them rapidly evolve into a relationship (let me say again how much more I enjoy a story when both people are being honest with each other (even if they're not being strictly honest with themselves)).

The supporting characters weren't distracting and I think were instrumental in helping Wolf grow as a person and recognize the difference between his 'plan' and being happy. All in all it was a fun little read that even independent of Skintight I liked quite a bit.

Overall Feeling - B

Series - 1) Skintight 2) Just for Kicks

Follow My Lead by Kate Noble

Jason Cummings, Duke of Rayne is feeling the weight of his responsibilities – one of which is to get married. Being the most sought after bachelor in London can be trying, so who can blame him if he seeks refuge from the voracious hordes of young debutantes at the decidedly female-free Historical Society? Female-free, that is, until Winnifred Crane marches up to the door, demanding entrance.

Despite her prowess as a historian, Winn is denied membership to the Society. So she daringly offers an unusual bargain: if she can prove the authenticity of a certain painting, she’ll be granted recognition, fame, and respect. But to do that, she must go abroad. And to go abroad, she must have an escort, even a stubbornly unwilling one…

Jason has no desire to accompany Winn on her adventure across Europe, but even he is not immune to Winn’s passion for her profession. As the journey proves more difficult than planned, they must work together to stay one step ahead of their rivals… and the closer they get to the proof Winn seeks, the closer she and Jason become. But as their adventure turns dangerous, can Jason keep this headstrong bluestocking safe? And what will become of their growing bond when the adventure ends?

~~

Before anyone suggests a tar and feathering, let me just tell you that I really wanted to like this book. Really. I don't read a lot of historicals anymore and after all of the good things I'd heard about Kate Noble I truthfully expected this read to be a slam dunk. I have to admit I'm not sure why it isn't.

In retrospect I'd have to say the biggest thing that turned me off was the timing. As I was reading I never got swept up in the story; instead I found myself checking how much of the book was left or skipping ahead a few pages to figure out what was going to happen next. Jason and Winn are an interesting couple, the both of them trying to negotiate the tricky steps into the next part of their lives, but the characters didn't hold on to me. George was as much of an ass as Noble I think intended him to be, but other than that I was for the pretty ambivalent.

I will say though that since my opinion appears to be in the minority that you should give this a try yourself. You never know what will work for you and this could be a prime example of that.

Overall Feeling - C+/C

Series - 1) Follow My Lead 2) If I Fall

Lucky in Love by Jill Shalvis

Mallory Quinn has had enough of playing it safe. As a nurse and devoted daughter, she takes care of everyone but herself. And as the local good girl, she's expected to date Mr. Right. But for once, she'd like to take a risk on Mr. Wrong. And who could be more wrong than Ty Garrison? The mysterious new guy in town has made it clear that he's only passing through, which suits Mallory just fine. Besides, his lean, hard body and sexy smile will give her plenty to remember once he's gone . . .

For the first time in his life, Ty can't bear to leave. Helping this sexy seductress-in-training walk on the wild side is making him desire things he shouldn't, including leaving the military for good. As their just-for-fun fling becomes something more, Mallory and Ty wonder if they could really be this lucky in love. After all . . . anything can happen in a town called Lucky Harbor.

~~

I'm going to try not to gush about how much I love Jill Shalvis, but yeah, in case you were wondering, I do. This book is a great example of why, as both Ty and Mallory are flawed people trying to figure out the next step in their lives. Neither of them were looking for a relationship but circumstance and sparks came together and it just happened - maybe in not the most drama free way as usual, but it still happened.

Mallory has always been the good girl, fixing the lives of her friends, patients, and families to keep them all as 'ok' as possible - even when it's to her own detriment. By the time this book opens she's feeling so stifled that any 'bad' thing is looking mighty 'good'; which is of course the perfect time for military man Ty to appear. The element that worked best for me between them was how honest their communication was. They both admitted to the initial attraction as well the desire for it not to turn into anything serious. The fact that it did was just something that happened - neither of them tried to have hurt feelings or hold on too tight to the other. Instead I got to read a very enjoyable journey as these two hurt souls healed each other (corny I know, but trust me - it's GREAT in the book).

The supporting small town characters might have been a bit much for me this time around (Mal's crazy sister and the curmudgeonly Mrs. Burland tended to annoy me more than entertain) but I'm still excited to pick up the next books in this series and discover the HEA's in store for the rest of the Chocoholics :).

Overall Feeling - B+/A-

Series - 1) Simply Irresistible 2) The Sweetest Thing 3) Head Over Heels 4) Lucky in Love 5) At Last 6) Forever and a Day (7/31/12)

**Title requested from NetGalley**