What I'm Reading Wednesday

EPIC FAIL /o\ It has been OVER A MONTH AGAIN *sigh*. I honestly intended to post last week but RL got the better of me. With baseball coming to a close, school coming to a close, and a move looming ever closer, not to mention deadlines /o\, I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off /o\

Okay, it's not REALLY that bad. This is not our first rodeo *coughmovecough* and it WILL be our shortest move, but still stressful. And you're not here to read abt my complaints so ON WITH THE BOOKS!

Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts M/F - the final installment in The Gallagher Brothers Trilogy. I enjoyed this a great deal, mostly because the heroine was definitely NOT your typical "swoon and fall at the feet of the hero" type woman. She was strong-willed (almost to the point of me wanting to slap her AND him upside the head) and independent. Believe me, I was almost finished and had NO idea how this was gonna end up HEA, but ...SPOILERS :D

What Wendy Wants by Nikki Sex M/F - Author's name aside, I LOVED the premise of this book. Husband finds out wife's secret fantasies when he accidentally takes her Kindle to work instead of his and then proceeds to make them come true. I mean, COME ON, who WOULDN'T want this to happen? IN the end they had some massively hot sex and it strengthened their marriage - because COMMUNICATION!!!

Once In A Blue Moon by Delilah Devlin M/F - This is the first in a series I think? The Beux something Coven series. It's about a coven of witches that are in hiding because if found demons can enslave them. The leader falls for a local construction worker who turns out to be a troll (the lowest on the supernatural food chain) her coven and his 'group' must band together to save the witches from the demon they escaped from years ago. Being a Charmed fan, I LOVED this book and I'm planning on buying the next book in the series. The sex happened fast and was a little rushed, but I still enjoyed the chemistry and the plot.

Kink by Nikki Sex M/F - This was actually mentioned in the previous Nikki Sex book so I thought I would give it a shot. This was almost a DNF for me, but I pushed through. I had some issues with the consent in this book. And also some of the BDSM is definitely not to my taste, but mostly for me it seems the consent, although given freely, seemed IDK...not necessarily forced but it just made me uncomfortable. I bought a third book by her, it will probably be a long while before I attempt to read it, if ever :(((

Cupcakes by Sean Michael M/M - Cute, short novella. Chef owns a cupcake shop and falls for a customer, cupcake shop gets swindled out from under him >:( (that really made me angry tbh) but I still enjoyed the book. It was a quick fun read and ended satisfactorily :D

Cut and Run Series by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux M/M - I'm not going to go through ALL the books here outside of listing them - or at least the ones I've read so far...nope I didn't finish it yet...I needed a breather before tackling the end of the series /o\ as Button calls it, a palate cleanser before the final course :D

Cut and Run, Sticks and Stones, Fish & Chips, Divide and Conquer, Armed and Dangerous, Stars & Stripes (and I also read a few of the oneshots Abigail has on her Tumblr). I had forgotten JUST HOW GOOD THIS SERIES WAS. I was immediately sucked back in. I LOVED that Ty and Zane started out hating each other, I always find that is such an interesting dynamic, how such a volatile relationship can be volatile in the completely opposite direction. They are both such interesting characters, Ty with his Force Recon background along with PTSD and secrets galore and Zane with his dead wife, guilt, and addictions. Neither of these men are perfect and they don't pretend to be and yet somehow they are perfect together. I love that theirs is a SLOW BURN and that the relationship is realistic and they aren't spouting "I love yous' immediately. It makes it so much more believable. I'm almost ready to go back and finish the series off :((((

I needed some light-hearted stuff after that run...

A Piece of Cake by TM Franklin M/F - really cute novella about a matchmaker who refuses to use her talents to match people and instead uses a computer. But her talents cannot be denied when they recognize her own match. I loved the touch of supernatural and just the hint of Gypsy touch to this pairing. I plan on reading more of TM's work in the future.

Laying Down the Law by Delilah Devlin M/F - Woman flees her cop boyfriend when it's clear he's framing her for the bank robberies he's been committing and runs right to her ex, the man she hasn't seen in 16 years and is now the Sheriff of her hometown. There's a hint of D/s to their sexual relationship and the first time it happens it's a little shocking but overall, it made their sex SPICY and definitely added another layer to why she ends up trusting him with saving her life. I enjoyed it and will probably read more in this series in the future.

Sea Change by Darlene Marshall M/F - I don't normally read historical fiction, but apparently I've found my niche? This is the second Woman disguises herself as a male physician on a ship book that I've read. I REALLY enjoyed this one. Although several people found out throughout the book, her identity is kept a secret from the male lead for almost 2/3 to 3/4 of the book. Which enabled some interesting sexual tension and some rather funny situations. I love the social implications of her trying to do a man's job as a woman, and how it's important to her that the crew accept her even after her identity is revealed. This is one I'll probably read again. And if you have any more like this? Send them my way.

Next up - Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - M/F? - Yes, I know this became a movie and apparently the movie sucked, but given how much I enjoyed the Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine (and she and Richelle seem to be Twitter buddies) I thought I would give this one a try. It was made into a movie for a reason. I've read the first three books so far - Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, and I'm reading the fourth right now, Blood Promise.

The premise is that vampires are real and there are different kinds. The Moiroi who are actually alive and the Strigoi who are dead. The Moiroi blend in with humans and fear becoming a Strigoi - who are dead and without souls. The Moiroi are protected by Dhampirs (Half Moiroi Half Human) called Guardians. Vampire Academy is the story of Rose Hathaway, a guardian in training who has bonded with her best friend Lissa, a Moiroi. Rose is impulsive, reckless, and a complete and total BADASS. She ends up falling in love with her mentor, Dimitri, another guardian who is seven years older than her. Because of their society, their love is forbidden, because Dhampirs are destined to guard Moiroi and cannot have children together anyway. So, take living and dead vampires, half vampires that are either Blood Whores or Guardians, mix in politics (because ofc the vampires have royalty and a Queen that has a secret agenda) and Hogwarts style high school, throw in a little elemental control ability, the ability to heal and walk in dreams and super strength and speed, and mix it all up with a little star-crossed love...and yeah, there's so much to these books, way more than meets the eye. It's been an enjoyable read so far and I'm anxious and dreading finishing the series. (Although there is a spinoff series called Bloodlines that I will probably start at some point). Also, it's making me want to REREAD The Morganville Vampires - but that series is like 16 books long so....

But when I finish, I'm going back to Cut and Run and read the final adventures of Ty and Zane.

And THAT is What I'm Reading :D

<333
Katherine