Pulled Long by Christine d'Abo

For months, coffee shop owner Ian Long has fantasized about a customer he knows only as "Blue Eyes." Until he learns Blue Eyes is in the midst of a divorce—the last thing Ian wants is to be the rebound experiment of a straight guy. Giving in to lust, he invites the man into the café after hours and they indulge in a little exhibitionist play, but Ian is unwilling to get involved.

When he's forced to see Jeff again to return his briefcase, Ian finally agrees to go out on a date. Dinner quickly becomes an erotic encounter in a special room at the sex club Mavericks, and Ian realizes Jeff satisfies desires he didn't know he had. The more he gets to know Jeff as a person, the harder it is to resist falling for him.

Jeff makes it clear he's interested in more than just sex. He wants to go public with their relationship in more ways than one. But can Ian open his heart, when he fears it will be broken?

~~

For the most part this book really worked for me. I liked the intense sparks between Ian and Jeff - the story starts after they've known each other for a little while so the tensions is definitely ratcheted up a few degrees. Their relationship evolves even though it's a short story, with Ian having to work through some serious emotional issues in order to find his HEA with Jeff. And the fact that Jeff is a real bisexual character and not some stereotypical man into 'playing' with women? Loved.

The not so greats were there as well, though luckily not in enough quantity to make me really dislike the story. I thought Jeff was a bit too perfect. He knows exactly what he wants (Ian) and seems to have no problems, hurdles, or issues to get over to make this relationship work. Sometimes it seemed as if Jeff's only job in the story was to just to be there and love Ian, to be this prince charming. I guess I'm just a little too used to having flawed fully fleshed out heroes and with that Jeff sometimes came off as a little flat. 

My only other criticism would have to be about Ian's 'redemptive act' or whatever you want to call it. Maybe it's because I haven't read the rest of the series, but it seemed a little tacked on and not as true to the two of them. Without going into spoilers, I'll just say that it came out of nowhere to me and I didn't consider it necessary to their HEA. 

All in all you've got a good story, scorching love scenes, and a cute couple. Add in the bits we see of Ian's siblings and I wouldn't rule out me picking up the first two books later.

Overall Feeling - Eh/Thumbs Up

Series - 1) Double Shot 2) A Shot in the Dark 3) Pulled Long (December 12, 2011)

**Title requested for review from NetGalley**

Thankful

I am so thankful for my health, my friends, the roof over my head and the job that pays my bills. It's no simple thing, living your life without stress, but right now I can definitely say things could be worse.

*Yes I cooked this. It was totally worth the long - long - time it took.

**If I wasn't moving I'd probably cook again. Because (in all honesty) my turkey is the bomb diggity.

RIP Anne McCaffrey

My love of books would not have been the same without you Ms. McCaffrey. I've raided library sales, used book stores, Barnes & Nobles - anything really - to pick up favorites to find homes on my shelves. Your books were some of the first to star strong female characters, whether they were wives, mothers, or the leaders of Wyrs or wars. Thank you. You will be missed.

Another day, another winner!

Congratulations to 

JDean!

for winning my second birthday giveaway! Hope you enjoy your books!

<3

The Lure of Song and Magic by Patricia Rice

Her voice was a curse...

When Dylan "Oz" Oswin's son is kidnapped, the high-powered producer will do anything to get him back. Desperately  following an anonymous tip, he seeks help from a former child singing sensation called Syrene, only to find she's vowed never to sing again. Immune to her voice but not her charm, Oz is convinced she holds the key to his son's disappearance- and he'll stop at nothing to make her break her vow.

But he must make her sing...

She knows the devastation her talent can bring. There's more than a child's life at stake, but Syrene cannot unleash her dangerous siren's voice upon the world, even for a man who is impossible to deny

~~

Ok so I can't make this reveal suspenseful - I LOVED this book! I had it in my NetGalley que for a while because even though it sounded pretty good and I requested it, I just couldn't decide if it was something I really wanted to read. I should probably trust my 'new book' instincts more often - I feel that this is more the moral of this round about tale.

The best part of Rice's story is definitely Oz and Pippa. The both of them have very opposing views about how their respective lives are going to go: Pippa wants to be left alone to write her children books and Oz wants to find his son - even if he has to go through Pippa to do it. The fact that they were attracted to each other caused some worries on both sides and resulted in tension, sparks, and general craziness whenever they were together. I mean, how many romance books do you read where within moments of meeting each other the hero throws the heroine in her own pool?

Another great element of this story was Pippa's siren heritage/magical abilities. On her website Rice said that she worked really hard to ride that fine line in the book so it would appeal to both contemporary romance readers and fantasy lovers and I think she did an awesome job. Pippa's powers are hinted at/discussed quite a bit, but it never overwhelms the romance at the heart of it all. Plus Rice brings in enough supporting characters to keep me VERY interested in a sequel!

Highly recommended and I can't wait to pick up some of her backlist!

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up.

Series - 1) The Lure of Song and Magic (? - I'm not positive that it's a series but I'm hoping!)

**Title requested from NetGalley for review**

Mini Me: Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon

A stunning and suspenseful new landscape emerges in the thrilling Dark-Hunter world—a world where nothing will ever be the same again. . .

Fang Kattalakis isn't just a wolf. He is the brother of two of the most powerful members of the Omegrion: the ruling council that enforces the laws of the Were-Hunters. And when war erupts among the lycanthropes, sides must be chosen. Enemies are forced into shaky alliances. And when the woman Fang loves is accused of betraying her people, her only hope is that Fang believes in her. Yet in order to save her, Fang must break the law of his people and the faith of his brothers. That breech could very well spell the end of both their races and change their world forever.

The war is on and time is running out...

~~

Can I tell you a secret? You can't tell anyone else ok?

I'm not sure if I really like Sherrilyn Kenyon as much as I used to.

Shhhh! I know - you don't have to tell me! Blaspheme, right? I'm so gonna get kicked out of the book bloggers guild for this one. I just had to let it out though. I picked up Bad Moon Rising for super cheap at Barnes and Noble a few weekends ago and it wasn't the same! I'm not sure what happened but I think it might be that the world is just TOO BIG. There's so much all the time and for a minute there after Acheron I didn't really know where Kenyon was going to go with the series. She's pulled that out (though I am STILL not a fan of Nick's storyline), but the series as a whole doesn't bring me the same joy. It might have something to do with the time jumping. Yeah, I definitely think that's part of it. In the beginning the books were linear and there was a progression of the character's lives, but now it seems to change not only with every new book but within the book as well! I can't always be expected to remember what happened 17 books ago! I'm just not that cool.

For those other true ride or die fans out there, Fang and Aimee's story is by no means bad. I'd been waiting for this ever since Vane's book and Kenyon for the most part doesn't disappoint. There's a sudden side story addition of just why Fang was in a coma for so long, which was completely unexpected, but the relationship between the two of them was a joy to read. If you can find it super cheap or pick it up from the library I recommend it, but do not expect this to be a stand alone.

Desert Warrior by Nalini Singh

The fabled desert kingdom of Zulheina was Tariq's birthright, and he was a man who held tightly what belonged to him. And that meant he had to reclaim a very special woman--the woman who had broken his heart years before in New Zealand. And once he had lured her to this distant land, he meant to keep his new bride here forever....

But Jasmine Coleridge was not as easily tamed as he had imagined. Her beguiling blend of untouched innocence and dazzling sensuality threatened, once again, to bring the haughty sheikh to his knees--and made him wonder who was the true prisoner....

~~

THIS IS SO OLD SCHOOL! It was hilarious for me to read Singh doing the 'desert sheikh' book, especially since I am only slightly ashamed to admit that it was a favorite genre of mine years ago. I even have a whole set of them from my Silhouette Desire days, though I missed out on this release the first time around.

Tariq is the quintessential desert prince, hot blooded but determined not to open his heart and be vulnerable to Jasmine. Jasmine is the no longer quite so naive American, returning to Tariq to help him through the grief of losing his parents but also to claim the love she's never forgotten (see? the DRAMA!).

Tariq ends up being just the right amount of jerky alpha and emotional lover, which I think is a great example of why these books worked so well. It's old school but full of spark, as Jasmine works to show Tariq the new independence she's gained and how their love will make them both whole. There's so much familiar to me about the story but even with that Singh's voice and style make it unique and a stand out of the genre. 

If you can get your hands on the combo release of this and Lord of the Abyss I highly recommend it since both are a fun read and fantastic additions to anyone's library.

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up.

Series - None (?)

**Title requested from NetGalley for review**