Monthly Archives:: December 2013

Published February 28th 2012 by HarperTeen (first published January 1st 2012) 

Summary from Goodreads

Published
November 23rd 2013
by Guerrilla Wordfare

Summary from Goodreads

This is my third book by Lizzy Ford in the last couple of months and I was totally excited about this series. Chace has searched for a long time for a way to break his curse. As a dragon shifter, he has now lived a thousand years and has watched a lot of his loved mortals die before him. Now he has a chance from a mysterious man who offers him his freedom in exchange of a favor. Chace must find who is behind the disappearance of all the other shifters. With their numbers dwindling, the only thing that keeps the shifters out of the harms way is a bar that Chace displaces in order to protect the shifters.

Skylar is a dragon slayer and the only one in existence that she knows of. Her mission is to find the dragon that only she can feel and bring him back with her for rehabilitation. She doesn’t know why, just the fact that shifters are dangerous and are harmful to other humans. That is until she stumbles into Chace and finds herself in a one night stand with the very man she was hunting.

I enjoyed the story. It has been such a long time since I have read a paranormal with dragons in it, and oh gosh do I love my dragons! I find dragon shifters interesting and Chace was well…Chace. The attraction between him and Skylar is instant with the flame that burns between them. The sex in the book started a bit early, but since it added to the plot later on I did not mind it. That being said, there is enough chemistry in this book to set it on fire. There are a couple of sex scenes in the book that if I wasn’t comfortable reading I think my cheeks would burn. But since they don’t generally bother me and I can usually just breeze right through them and get into the plot instead, it seems to do just fine.

I liked Chace until the end. I thought what he did was a bit self-fish and with all the connections between him and Skylar that it was almost hard to believe that he can pull off what he did. But thinking back at how much he wanted this and for how long, it did make sense. The ending made me excited for book two that is already out. I hate to admit that Chace kind of deserved what he got in the end for being so blinded, but I hope he redeems himself in the next book. I also really liked his friend Gunner, that I also hope will appear more in the next book.

Overall I once again was thrown into the world of Lizzy Ford writing and although it did have more sex in it then the other two books that I read from her, I did not mind it as I had read plenty of books with it in my life and really enjoyed this new story.

Published
September 24th 2013
by Harlequin HQN

Summary from Goodreads

Another first for me! While still unable to get as much computer time as before, I been enjoying a lot of first time authors for me. Thought I started this one in the middle of the series, it wasn’t hard to keep up with everything that has been going on. Sure it feels like the characters that appeared in the book are from previous books, but Christmas on 4th Street read like a stand-alone, at least for me.


Fool’s Gold is a small yet charming town where everyone knows everyone. Noelle Perkins moved to Fool’s Gold as a way to start over after battling and winning against her sickness. Ditching a legal career that wasn’t really carved out for her, for a chance to open her own little shop called The Christmas Attic. 


Gabriel Boylan is an army doctor visiting his brother in time of Christmas. He doesn’t have particularly good memories about the previous holidays and it just get’s better when his drill sergeant father and mother show up for their Christmas visit. All Gabriel has is bad memories with his father running his household like a boot camp, and their relationship does not get any better through the years. Especially since his father is a strong believer that Gabriel needs to re-enlist in the army and serve out all together 20 years.


Christmas on 4th Street was a lovely Christmas story filled with love, second chances and of course a military hero battling his inner demons. After seeing his first love die, Gabriel does not feel like love and marriage is the right fit for him. He doesn’t want to see another loved one disappear from his life. Until Noelle Perkins comes along with her umbrella and steals his heart away. I loved the connection between these two and although Gabriel came with his share of problems, I was rooting for Noelle to wedge herself permanently into his heart anyway. It was sweet with just the right kind of pace that I liked. I devoured this book and immensely enjoyed Susan Mallery’s writing. It’s really a shame that I only now starting to get to her books because I heard so much wonderful things about her romance books. I loved her characters and the storyline that just knew how to touch my heart!

 Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read

I think Urban Fantasy/Paranormal has been my most favorite genre ever since I started reading so for this one I recommend…

I don’t think I have to explain myself about this one. I love Jim Butcher’s work. I love Harry, his awesome and funny. He has a spirit living in a skull named Bob, who makes me giggle every-time he enters the scene. Fairies, werewolves, vampires, ghosts. Enough said. The Dresden Files and Charley Davidson series are my utter most favorite urban fantasies/paranormal.

Leave a comment below if you choose to follow me, so I can return the favor!

Expected publication:
December 31st 2013
by Harlequin (first published December 3rd 2013)

Summary from Goodreads

Three different stories about different romances, all taking place during the general time at this little town called Tucker’s Point.

A snow storm is coming and the little town is under emergency. People are getting snowed in, losing power, and a little girl has gone missing.

Cute. I read a book like this last year actually, that happened around the same event but was written by three different authors telling the stories of different people and what’s going on with them around the same event. I really enjoyed it. Thought Snow Day was done much the same, I have to admit this was not my favorite of the two nor the favorite of the holiday’s/winter reads.

Thought the stories were kind of cute, this book for some reason just did not work as well for me. I thought it moved a little slow and there just wasn’t enough to keep me entertained. Thought I enjoyed the idea, I almost rolled my eyes when the second story of the book - the whole plot behind it felt like the first one. Both of the women got dumped by the love of their life out of the blue. Actually, kind to think of it. The third story is much the same, except the woman did the dumping.

Anyway, it didn’t feel very original. I did like some of the characters, but nothing really stuck out to me. Especially not the reasons for the break-up. Take for example the last story, about Tessa and Colton. She broke up with the poor man after he proposed to her because he was way too perfect and she doesn’t want him to be perfect. So she acts like a baby to prove her point to him, and in the end she was making my head swim with her excuses. Why let the relationship get that far then? The fact that she told him that she couldn’t explain what she meant was making my head hurt.

It wasn’t as Christmasy as my other reads this season and although this one stop short for me, I am sure other’s would enjoy the slow but sweet romances.

Published October 29th 2013
by Harlequin HQN

Summary from Goodreads

It’s been a hectic week around here, with Christmas on the horizon I was actually excited to get a few hours of reading here and there. It wasn’t much, but it gave me enough to finish Christmas in Snowflake Canyon my first book by Thayne.

I know it’s book six in the series, but Christmas in Snowflake Canyon can actually be read as a stand-alone. I had no problem with the characters nor did it feel like I walked into the middle of a movie. I really enjoyed Thayne’s characters and writing.

Genevieve Beaumont is back in town after living in Paris for a while. She comes from a wealthy family and grew up having everything she could ask for, until her father decides to cut her off when she refuses to marry the man who openly cheated on her with a younger woman and got her pregnant. Now, she is back in Hope’s Crossing and working on fixing her grandmother’s old house, in hopes of putting it on the market.

Dylan is the town’s war hero, a war veteran that has lost a part of his arm (below the elbow) and one of his eyes when a mission went very wrong. He comes with a full package of a brooding man with survivors guilt who has a hard time adjusting to his home in Hope’s Crossing.

When Genevieve get’s into a fight at the bar over Christmas songs and Dylan steps in to rescue her, he doesn’t expect to be carted off to jail and slapped with 100 hours of community service along side the beautiful but perfect Genevieve Beaumont.

Such a sweet story. I have to admit, it started a bit on a slow side for me but once I got into the story I had a difficult time putting it down. I have the biggest soft spot for military men, and Dylan was just wonderful. Yes he comes with a lot of problems, he doesn’t think his perfect and has a hard time dealing with the fact that he lost a couple of things back in Afghanistan. But beneath the surface, the man really does have a heart of gold. I couldn’t help but root for the both of them, it was so touching to watch just how much Genevieve has changed. I would never have liked her myself if I had met her before she came back from Paris and started rebuilding her life. She had taken advantage of the fact that she had money, but when things got stripped away from her she came out as a strong and independent woman who was just in search of her real self.

I adored the fact that Genevieve fell in love with Dylan’s heart and accepted the stubborn man with his flaws and imperfections inside and out. It really was touching that a woman like her could look past what he had lost and even at one part of the book has helped similar military man in need.

Wonderful story, beautiful one for Christmas time. Thayne really made me think with this one. I think if you really fall in love with the person on the inside, it shouldn’t matter how they look on the outside. If the person got hurt after you fell in love and is now disabled, it melts your heart when their partner stands by them because their love is that strong that the two can in fact survive anything life throws at them.

Expected publication:
January 7th 2014
by Katherine Tegen Books

Summary from Goodreads

 The Forbidden Stone is the first book of six in The Copernicus Legacy. It follows the adventure of four friends, Wade, Darrel, Lily and Becca after they receive a strange coded message from their ‘uncle’ Henry shortly after the man’s death. When Wade’s father Roald travels with the children to Germany in order to attend the funeral they find another strange message left by their uncle and a couple of dangerous people that would stop at nothing at finding them and eliminating the group from discovering the truth and the rest of the mysterious relics.

Ah not even sure where to begin. I did enjoy the story, but I enjoyed it after the 50% of the book. I thought the first half dragged a little bit and then the second half was more fun and took off on a high adventure.

I was a little confused by how old these kids are. I felt like the clues and the resolution that they came up for them was a bit complicated and might feel like that to some children reading this. Unless it was meant for the oldest middle-grade children because I myself had to go back and reread their findings a couple of times to make sense of it. Also they relied heavily on phones and an Ipad at times. I guess I am still trying to get use to the fact that kid’s use Ipads these days.

I liked the fact that they mixed in astronomy into the book, at least the part that was believable. There was a bit of a history and astronomy lessons in there and I found myself really enjoying that part. It was amazing to realize how much I remember from the time I took astronomy classes myself.

I liked that the book took off and became more exciting after the first half. It did draw me in and I did have a hard time putting it down in the end. Even if the ending might have been a little unbelievable (their escape especially) - it’s still a book that is filled with adventure and excitement for the right group of kids. I love how it emphasizes the friendship between the four children, and there is even a bit of puppy love going on that I found adorable. Overall I am looking forward to more adventures from Wade, Darrell, Lily and Becca - since the book ended with a mini cliffhanger, it seems that there are more relics to discover and more danger to dodge.

Published November 19th 2013
by Love Inspired (first published January 1st 2013)

Summary from Goodreads

 Okay to be perfectly honest when I requested to review this book I did not realize this would be Christian romance. It usually doesn’t bother me. I have read a few Christian Fictions before where it was pretty laid back, just a nice clean read. This one had a bit more overwhelming references in it, but I guess with a Christmas book it was kind of expected.

Anyway, overall just the general story-line was actually kind of cute. Two Turner children go up behind a waterfall to make a Christmas wish, the children want a mother. So when Lana shows up in the house next door, with brown hair (the boy wished for a mother with brown hair) the kids automatically assume that God had sent her to them in response.

Lana was a party girl with attitude problems growing up in Whisper Falls. Coming back from Nashville with her sister’s child wasn’t an easy feat. Especially when she believes that the people of Whisper Falls will never forgive her for being a destructive teenage. Meeting Davis Turner, her neighbor across the street, she had half expected the man to bail on her and never look back. Instead, he offers to help her clean up and fix her house. Unfortunately not everyone in Whisper Falls can forgive her or can look past her troubled past, can Lana still turn a new page?

I liked Lana… I thought she did have a rough life and I was glad she turned a new chapter in her life. She is taking care of her twin sister’s child that she took with her out of Nashville because her mother is suffering from drug abuse and I loved the connection between her and the little girl.

I thought her and Davis got along pretty well and the romance was really cute for the holiday season.

I wanted to know what Lana did to Davis’ sister that she wouldn’t stop being so nasty to her without learning how the new Lana really is. I mean… I’m sure there are plenty of people who have made a mistake or two as a teenager. It seems unfair to have it follow them as an adult. Especially since people change.

What I didn’t like is that Davis sometimes lacked faith in Lana. I hate how he automatically assumed the worse in some of the stuff that she had said. Especially when he asked her about who Sydney’s father is and his reaction to her answer. Or when Sydney accidentally let it slip that they lived in a car at one point. Or the way he reacted when he found out the truth about Lana and Sydney and why she had not told him earlier. Uh…well maybe she was afraid that he would react the exact sane way that he did? I can’t imagine it would have made a difference, especially with what was going through his mind with the first two incidents.

Anyway, the ending was pleasant. Happily Ever After type style. Thought I was on the fence with this book. I did enjoy it, despite some of the stuff listed above. It was a good Christmas read and I am sure that there are a lot that will enjoy it despite the small issues that I myself had with it.

Published December 3rd 2013
by Harlequin (first published January 1st 2013)

Summary from Goodreads

I do love myself some second chance romance once in a while. I love getting the stories behind the failure of the first and the magic moments that bring the two people together. Of course it’s all even more better when it happens to be a Christmas story to top it off.

Elizabeth had a lot happen to her. After dating Justin Cade, despite knowing that behind that killer smile and his boyish charm the man had a problem committing and being dumped by him for getting too serious - she had also came to adopt her goddaughter who’s mother passed away from cancer.

Now Elizabeth thinks she is on the right track by getting married to a more subdue man who was going to whisk them away to California and away from their little town and away from Justin Cade. But when her soon to be husband arrives in town, Elizabeth suddenly questions where her and Kaylee would fit into his life and why does Justin Cade keep appearing everywhere?

I thought it was a cute story and I did thoroughly enjoy it. I liked Justin, despite all his issues. I can understand where his fear of commitment comes from. Having lost his mother and watching the way his own father wasted away after his death. Then watching the shell that had become of his own brother when he lost his wife and child. It is believable that something like that would scare the man away.

I did like Elizabeth. I thought she was smart, sweet and tough, despite everything that life had thrown at her. She told Justin she loved him, only to watch him hightail out faster then a speeding car around the same time she was losing her best friend. Then being granted guardian over her goddaughter wasn’t easy for a woman that had no experience being a mother. But I thought she did a wonderful job and in the end everything turned out wonder for her.

The moment between Justin and Kaylee were downright adorable. It was easy to see that her attachment to Justin was going to cause a bit of a problem. But with a little Christmas miracle, could she help Justin realize just exactly what he wants?

A wonderful, cute little Christmas romance!