NYC Giveaway Winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway! I probably won't be even attempting the Rafflecopter widget again, but hey we all live and learn. The two winners this time around are:

Andrew - High Energy

Anonymous - Mine to Take

via

From some question/comments I got on FB Anonymous should be V. Kim, but if you both could send me an email with your shipping address I'll get your books out later this week (readingamidstthechaos (at) gmail (dot) com).

Thanks!!

Angel on Fire by Jacquie Johnson *Blog Tour*

All Angela wants is to understand why her father, security specialist Mac McKenzie, dropped dead on a sidewalk in Boston. Instead, she is thrust into the midst of an international conspiracy when she discovers that her father was working on a classified project at the time of his death. Now, the FBI, a terrorist and a killer have her in their sights.

Former Navy SEAL turned undercover operative, Chase Romero thinks his boss is overreacting when he orders Chase to small town America to protect Angela. But he changes his mind when her home is burglarized and "accidents" begin to happen. The real question becomes, how can he keep her safe if he keeps tripping over his own heart?

After shooting an intruder, Angela flees the scene, and the FBI issues a warrant for her arrest. On the run for her life and her freedom, she places her trust in Chase. As they travel from New England, to the nation's capital, to the shores of Lake Michigan, the trail - and their attraction - grow hotter. Together, they team up to prevent a global financial market meltdown and face a killer who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the project Mac protected with his life.

~~

For me this book was saved by the last 1/3 or so. When I started reading about Angela and Chase I wasn't sure their spark was enough for me. All the right words were there, and I wasn't bothered by how they immediately starting lusting after each other even though there were in the middle of a crisis. It's a suspense romance - I've learned to roll with the punches. Still while everything seemed liked it should work on the surface I didn't believe in it. The action was a little lackluster in the beginning and I didn't completely understand why the heroine, who seemed very intelligent and kickbutt in her own right, was following Chase just a little too easily.

Happily I can say that after about halfway through the book things pick up. Chase is still pushing Angela away because he doesn't want to start something he can't finish (a quality of a decent guy, I approve) but they have to go on the run from pretty much everyone after a grisly murder. Again I could wish that Angela trusted her instincts more, but Chase is very much an alpha male and if she was too rejecting of his help I'm not sure their relationship would work as well. Plus the familiarity they have with each other at this point of the story makes their relationship more fun for me as a reader - I believe in it and want them to have their HEA. Add in great supporting characters (who I really hope get their own book later) and you've got a satisfying action romp that's both familiar and fun.

Overall Feeling - B-

Series - None

**Title provided by Lightning Book Promotions**

Full Bloom by Jayne Ann Krentz

Jacob Stone was part bodyguard/troubleshooter for Ravenscroft International. Over the years, he'd pulled Emily Ravenscroft out of coutless acts of rebellion against her domineering family. Now he'd been summoned once again. Instead of a reckless hellion, he found a woman in charge of her life, who didn't need protection, but needed love. Did Jacob need this new kind of trouble?

~~

I love Jayne Ann Krentz. Even when the description sounds like poop I end up loving the story, and this one definitely didn't have the best description. It's not fully poop but it makes Emily sound like an immature thoughtless woman and paints Jacob as the no-it-all alpha male. It's not my favorite pairing, as the power dynamic ends up getting so skewed that I'm annoyed with everyone.

Thankfully Jacob and Emily are much more than their description, especially when it comes to their relationship. Jacob might have been hired by her family to investigate some shady characters but Emily doesn't sit idly by trying to think of ways to annoy everyone around her. She has a life and goals and her own moral code that she won't let her family run roughshod over. Even Jacob, who she's loved for years, doesn't get a pass and she holds him accountable for his actions and his respect of her as an individual. Add in some of the great sexual tension that Krentz (to me) is known for and the classic 'heaving bosom'-ness of when they come together and I loved the whole thing. If you can get your hands on a copy I consider it totally worth it :).

Overall Feeling - A

Series - None

This is What Heaven Looks Like

If heaven was a huge library garage sale. Which it probably is. 

Wicked as They Come by Delilah Dawson

When Tish Everett forces open the ruby locket she finds at an estate sale, she has no idea that a deliciously rakish Bludman has cast a spell just for her. She wakes up in a surreal world, where Criminy Stain, the dashing proprietor of a magical traveling circus, curiously awaits. At Criminy’s electric touch, Tish glimpses a tantalizing future, but she also foresees her ultimate doom. Before she can decide whether to risk her fate with the charming daredevil, the locket disappears, and with it, her only chance to return home. Tish and Criminy battle roaring sea monsters and thundering bludmares, vengeful ghosts and crooked Coppers in a treacherous race to recover the necklace from the evil Blud-hating Magistrate. But if they succeed, will Tish forsake her fanged suitor and return to her normal life, or will she take a chance on an unpredictable but dangerous destiny with the Bludman she’s coming to love?

~~

Eh, I expected to like this more. The reviews were good, the premise was interesting, but all in all I think I'd have to say it moved a bit slow for me. Maybe as much as I love the fashion I'm not much of a Steampunk girl after all?

What I did like about this book was the slow(er) progression of the relationship between Tish and Criminy. It would have been a bit weird to me if they'd immediately fallen into their HEA because she hadn't been totally unhappy with the world she left behind. She'd gotten out of her abusive relationship and was rebuilding her connection to herself and her grandmother - maybe not ideal, but things could have been worse. Criminy might have known that he and Tish were meant to be together because she found his necklace, but Tish had to have the time to allow her feelings to blossom. Corny sure, but needed as she was also expected to get used to a completely different world at the same time.

I may give the next book a go, we'll see. It might be a library (if possible) read for me.

Overall Feeling - B

Series - 1) Wicked as They Come

Teaser Tuesdays (4/24)

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!

"She looked doubtful. I considered telling her I have lots of Asian friends, but I was pretty sure that would make it worse. The sad truth is I couldn't tell any of the white women apart either. In fact, at that point I'd had way too much to drink and I wasn't even sure who I was. I dimly hoped I was Evany Thomas. I love that girl."

--pg 178, Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Alien Diplomacy by Gini Koch

Being newlyweds and new parents is challenging enough. But Jeff and Kitty Martini are also giving up their roles as super-being exterminators and Commanders in Centaurion Division while mastering the political landscape as the new heads of Centaurion's Diplomatic Corps. Enter a shadowy assassination plot and a new set of anti-alien conspirators, and nothing will ever be the same..

~~

Whoa. Reading Gini Koch sometimes makes me feel like I'm watching Gilmore Girls on crack. I love her stuff but so much is happening all the time! That could be attributed to the characters themselves being bombarded with more plots to kill them than they know what to do with, but I think any reader should prepare themselves for a bumpy ride when they pick this up.

In this particular installment, Kitty and Jeff are trying to find who they are in their new roles as diplomats - diplomats who straddle the line between truth and lie whenever they step out the door. I feel for them, especially as it becomes clear that the 'long game' of diplomatic strategy is significantly different than the action on the front line. Luckily the transition is eased along by our favorite characters - Chuck, James, Amy & Caroline - with some additions from previous books (Pierre anyone?) so it all comes together in one fun, but wild, ride.

I can't wait for the next book, especially since even with all the craziness Jeffy & Kitty still show all lovey dovey-ness their relationship is known for. I'm not sure if all sci-fi romances will make me as happy at Koch does, but this is a damn good series and highly recommended.

Overall Feeling - A-

Series - 1) Touched by an Alien 2) Alien Tango 3) Alien in the Family 4) Alien Proliferation 5) Alien Diplomacy