A 'Sizzling' audiobook find

Every now and then I scour the online bookstore for much wanted audiobooks, and today I found a real steal.  Amazon has Audio CD copies of Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich for under $7 - and that's for the unabridged version!  It must be my lucky day... now if only I could find unabridged versions of One for the Money, Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly I'd be really happy :P

Floodwaters receded, phones down and I cooked!

 

Today the sun is shining - and I've managed to get some washing on the line - and I feel great. However, I've got to tell you that I had more than a few anxious moments watching the floodwaters creep up the road. Thankfully the water didn't get any higher than in some of the photos, but the huge stormwater drain behind me did keep me twitchy.



you could surf in this stuff!

Then yesterday, the day after the flooding, all the cell phone coverage - all networks - went kaput.  So, not only couldn't I get in contact with relatives on the coast who were hunkering down in 100km/h plus winds, but I had no way to check the weather or emergency reports for this area.  Not impressed with the phone companies.

 



So as I anxiously waited for the phones to come back online, I started to cook.  First a chocolate cake, then a lasagna.  I have been re-reading the Stephanie Plum books to pass the time during the storms - and she's a terrible influence on my menu!  The cake is yummy and very dense.  And I am so proud of the lasagna as it is the first ever time I've cooked it!  It's delicious, and the pasta is cooked just right.  However it's not as good as my mothers lasagna.  Isn't your mother's cooking always tastier than your own attempts at family recipes?  Thankfully I don't have any pineapples in the house or it could have been a pineapple upside-down cake as I do have a recipe floating around somewhere.  My only problem is now I have to either eat it all, or freeze some of the lasagna as I went a little bit overboard.  Perhaps I could have Lula come over for a feed? :-)

Flooded in as ex-Cyclone Oswald batters QLD

I'm screwed!  My street is flooded at both ends, totally cutting us off, and the rain is still coming down in sheets.  In the last 24hrs we've had over 300mm.  I don't think it'd take much more before we see flood waters in our block.

 

 

Stephanie Laurens Upcoming Releases!

And Then She Fell

Cynster Sisters Duo (Book 1)

Stephanie Laurens

 

Avon Books, Mass Market Paperback, 384 p.

ISBN: 978-0-06-206864-4

Due for release on 26 March 2013

 

 

The only thing more troublesome than a Cynster man...is a Cynster lady who belives love is not her destiny. Famously known in London society as "The Matchbreaker," Henrietta Cynster's uncanny skill lies in preventing ill-fated nuptials - not in falling victim to Cupid's spell.

 

But then she distrupts one match too many and feels honor-bound to assist dashing James Glossup in finding a suitable bride for a marriage of convenience.

 

A task infernally complicated by the undeniable, unquenchable attraction that flares between James and Henrietta, who continues to believe she will never fall...

 

 

EXCERPT

 

 

Finally, here it is. The first book in the Cynster Sisters Duo, and number 19 in the Cynster family series is the aptly named And Then She Fell.   Continuing on eight years after the last Cynster Sisters Trilogy book, The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae, we now find ourselves following Henrietta Cynster as she reluctantly finds her hero.

 

If you want to read the books in order, so you have some idea of who's who in the Cynster-verse, I'd get started now!  Start with Devil's Bride (or even The Promise of a Kiss if you want to start at the very beginning).  As the stories seems to inter-connect, I'd also recommend reading all the Bastion Club books.  However, if that's a little too much, just read Simon Cynster's story, The Perfect Lover, as ATSF continues about 2 years after this - and it's where we first meet James Glossup.

 

Oh, and for those of you who can't quite remember where Henrietta and Mary (recipient of the second Cynster Sisters Duo book) fit in on the Cynster family tree... they are the youngest sisters of Simon and the twins, Amanda and Amelia.

 

... quickly before I go, I just found out that Mary Cynster's story will be called The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh, and will be available on the 30 July, 2013!

The year that was 2012

Well my dears, Christmas has been and gone and as we come to the close of 2012 I find myself reflecting on the year that was.

 

So many of my favourite books have come from this year, and I even found a new author - or three - that I will follow in the future.  This year I time travelled my way through Shadow of Night with Diana and Matthew as they rubbed shoulders with Marlowe other Elizabethan celebrities, and mentally helped kick ass with Eve Dallas as she chased a madman with delusions of grandeur around NY.  Got caught up in a battle with Gods and Goddess' as I followed Atticus O'Sullivan, and flew with Jason and Princess Mahiya as they swept across the desert sands of India on angelic wings.  I eagerly awaited the hatching of Kaylin Neya's mysterious egg, and laughed at Stephanie Plum as she got into yet more trouble ... "but it wasn't my fault!".

 

So here's to the year that was, and the bright and shiny year that could be.  May all your books be fabulous in 2013!

Happy New Year to you all.

Christmas Greetings



 

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas full of magical moments, love and laughter.

Let the Christmas Chaos begin!

Oh God, it's that time of year again!  Wish me luck!

Notorious Nineteen and Wicked Business

Finally!  I just got my hands on the new releases from Janet Evanovich.  So this weekend I will be snuggled up on the couch, catching up with Stephanie Plum and Diesel.  I just hope Stephanie has made a decision when it comes to who is the main honey in her life :-D

Remembrance Day, 2012

In Flanders fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae (1872–1918)

Thank you.

Returning to Middle-Earth

 

Made a quick dash to the shops this morning and happened to come across new companion books for The Hobbit.  I just couldn't resist returning to Middle-Earth for a few hours.  So I bought a copy (Gandalf does look good) and settled in on the couch with a hot cup of tea - and some Tim Tams - to happily reacquaint myself with some long lost friends.

 

Can't wait to see the movies.  Finally looked up the trailers which I had been avoiding (who wants to spend 6 months plus waiting on tenderhooks for the release date!), and am getting jazzed about it.  Was overjoyed when I realised that there will now be three movies.... yippeee!

 

I have already set aside Boxing Day to see The Hobbit at the cinema.  Since I saw each of the LOTR movies on opening day, I see no reason why I should break with tradition ;-D

Return to Rebel Ridge

Don't Cry For Me

Rebel Ridge #2

Sharon Sala

 

Released: September 18, 2012

 

Mass Market Paperback, Harlequin MIRA, 400 p.

ISBN: 9780778313427

 

 

Mariah Conrad has come home. Badly wounded on active duty in Afghanistan and finally released stateside, she has no family to call on and nowhere to go—until Quinn Walker arrives at her bedside. Quinn…her brother-in-arms, ex-lover and now maybe her future.

 

Quinn brings Mariah to his log cabin in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky to rest and recuperate both physically and emotionally. While she's incredibly grateful, Mariah is also confused and frustrated. She's always stood on her own two feet, but now even that can literally be torture. She's having flashbacks and blackouts, hearing helicopter noises in the night. She wants to push Quinn away—and hold him closer than ever.

 

But will she get the chance? Those helicopters are more than just post-traumatic stress; they're real—and dangerous. Bad things are happening on the mountain. Suddenly there's a battle to be fought on the home front, and no guarantee of survival.



Having read the first book in the series, Next of Kin, I was looking forward to getting my hands on Don't Cry for Me... and I wasn't disappointed.  Quinn Walker was a character that caught my interest in NoK, and even before Ms. Sala announced a second book, I was hoping that Quinn would get his own story.

 

As a former soldier, Quinn lives a quiet life on Rebel Ridge.  Content to roam the countryside as a forest ranger, he deals with the fall out of his time spent in Afghanistan.  Though still plagued with nightmares, Quinn does not hesitate to offer a place to stay to Mariah, one time lover, who herself is now state side and recovering from wounds she received during battle.

 

Suffering from lingering injuries as well as PTSD, it takes Mariah a while to settle in with Quinn, they man she loved, who she saved, and who left her without a word.  An independent woman, Mariah has trouble dealing with Quinn and his loud and affectionate family in the beginning.  An orphan, she has no idea how to relate to others in a family situation.  However, with the support of Quinn, and his mother, Dolly, and a scrawny red boned hound pup, Mariah slowly comes out of her shell.

 

But when trouble comes to Rebel Ridge - as it always does - it's Quinn who is in the firing line.  With no one to turn to Mariah has to overcome her injuries - and defy the odds - if she wants to bring her man back home again...

 

I loved Quinn and Mariah's relationship.  The building of a life together on a bond forged during war, the friendship and respect that the have for each other is refreshing to see in a contemporary romance.  This book, series, is a homage to family, friendship, loyalty and love.  A great read, and I would highly recommend to anyone who loves not only Sharon Sala, but the joys of a good book.

 

 

ARC Review: Kept

Kept
A Coveted Novel Bk 2
Shawntelle Madison

RELEASE DATE: 27 November 2012
Mass Market Paperback, Ballantine Books, 320p.
ISBN-13: 978-0345529176


A funny and sexy new paranormal romance, perfect for fans of Charlaine Harris and Patricia Briggs, Kept features the charmingly quirky werewolf, Natalya Stravinsky, as she navigates the minefields of love and war in the Garden State.
 
Fresh from defending her pack in battle, Natalya Stravinsky, a whip-smart werewolf with a lovable neurotic streak, wants a little rest and relaxation. Once an outcast, she's now eager to rejoin the ranks of her New Jersey pack, and has even gotten a handle on her obsessive urge to hoard holiday ornaments. Yet Nat barely has time to revel in her progress before the next crisis comes howling at her door.
 
Nat's father has suddenly gone missing, captured by the Russian werewolf mafia. And as Nat steps up to save her dad from a mob boss's deadly game, two men step in to play another round for her heart: her gorgeous alpha ex-boyfriend, Thorn, and her new flame, the sweetly sensitive wizard Nick. With her life growing more harried by the minute, Nat must stay cool, calm, and collected . . . or else risk losing everything.  

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Okay, I just want to make it clear that I am reviewing this title from an uncorrected ebook people.  So somethings I mention may have be slightly altered by the time you read it :-P

 

Yeah, my first ARC!  I was so excited to read Kept that I dumped all my other stuff, and jumped right in.  Then I had to wait until I could post this review.

Natalya is an anal werewolf germaphobe who can't seem to keep out of trouble!  Oh, she never goes looking for it, but trouble seems to find her anyway.  When her father goes missing while repaying a debt, somehow she gets tapped to find him.  So, with a rag-tag bunch of fellow therapy patients as back-up, Natalya goes hunting.

 

This is a quick paced, high energy book and it will have you rooting for Natalya as she not only searches for her father, but also has to deal with a hunky ex-slash-pack alpha from her past - and now engaged to another woman - and a truly nasty great aunt... all while trying to get re-admitted into the pack.  This truly qualifies as a bad week in my book!

 

Her friends are using every trick in the book to help Nat find, and free, her father.  However, it is Nat herself that must assume the debt, and undertake the burden of completing her father's task if she is to have any chance of bringing him home to his beloved wife and family - and with his wife due to go into labour any day, even her brother can't help her.

 

With Nat growing ever closer to Nick, wizard extraordinaire and fellow therapy goer, her feelings for Thorn (the ex) are still so obvious that a scent-blind wolf could pick up on them.  The tension between this threesome is so powerful, that I wondered when the other shoe would drop... and then it did.  Add to the mix a rather possessive and vindictive fiance and you've got a potential powder keg .  Erica.  Said fiance, and major bitch, is another nasty piece of work in Natalya's life that she has to deal with.  Good ol' Erica isn't above rubbing Natalya's nose in the fact that she's with Thorn now.  It's deliciously nasty, but so addictive to read.  You just want to punch Erica in her perfect face.

 

Will Nat stay with Nick, the new guy on the scene?  Or will Thorn's continuing presence in her life get in the way?

 

With the underlying themes of family and loyalty to those you love running through the book, Shawntelle Madison has created characters that are a joy to read. I got invested in Natalya, and totally tuned out the rest of the world while I devoured this book.

 

I won't give away any more of the storyline.  Just do yourselves a favour and find a copy - you won't regret it.

 

A great second book in a new series. 

 

 

A big THANK YOU to Shawntelle Madison for posting me some odds and ends  regarding promotional bookmarks and other extras. They are so beautiful.  I was surprised to see that there are trading cards that can be collected for this series too!

Woo hoo, I passed!

Just got my assignments back.  I passed with flying colours.  Now I just have to wait for the official documents.

No more studying... yeah!

Small Shen release date

Wow.  Just found the release information for Kylie Chan's graphic novel Small Shen. 

Small Shen
Kylie Chan

Release Date: 01 December, 2012 (AUS)
Harper Voyager
ISBN: 9780732289836

SMALL SHEN is the amazing story of Gold -- a stone spirit and a chronic troublemaker in the court of the great Gods of Chinese mythology. A mix of Kylie Chan′s brilliant storytelling and Queenie Chan′s beautiful illustrations, SMALL SHEN is a fantastic treat for fans of WHITE TIGER. Readers will be thrilled to discover the events leading up to John Chen and Emma Donahoe′s story in this wonderful prequel. Shown through Queenie Chan′s stunning illustrations and comics, the story follows the stone spirit Gold′s entertaining adventures throughout history. His escapades include seducing a dragon princess, attempting to steal one of the Tiger′s wives, making bets with demons, and working for the Blue Dragon of the East. Eventually, as a result of his crimes against Heaven and his constant philandering, Gold is ordered to join the household of Xuan Wu, the Dark Lord of the Northern Heavens. Xuan Wu is also known as John Chen, a Hong Kong businessman. The story then follows Gold and Jade -- the dragon princess - in contemporary Hong Kong. The two small shen must help guard John Chen′s beloved human wife and baby daughter from demon attack. John Chen is vulnerable to attack while living on Earth, but his family are in the most danger of all... SMALL SHEN is a unique piece of work for fans of Kylie Chan to treasure, but also a fantastic introduction to this gripping series.

Book Depository has the item listed as 'currently unavailable' so I don't like your chances of getting through them.

Instead, try Australian booksellers.



$24.99

$24.47

Review: The Lost Night (...late, but not forgotten)

The Lost Night

Ghost Hunter
Jayne Castle

Released: 01 September, 2012

Berkley (JOVE), Mass Market Paperback, 332 p.
ISBN: 978-0-515-15284-5

Even the mysterious world of Harmony has people who don't quite fit in.  They're drawn to places like Rainshadow Island, a beautiful sanctuary where anyone can feel safe - and where secrets are closely guarded...

Schooled in an exotic form of martial arts, and with the ability to detect the auras of dangerous psychic criminals, Rachel Blake and her dust bunny companion have found peace and quiet on Rainshadow Island, operating a bookstore and cafe.

But her tranquil new life in thrown into chaos when Harry Sebastian, the descendant of a notorious pirate, arrives to investigate strange developments in the privately owned woods known as the Preserve.

Immediately drawn to the amber-eyed woman, Harry tread carefully.  While Rachel's special talents can help him track down dangerous rogues who have voilated the Preserve, they can also sense the heart of darkness within him.  But desire can weaken the toughest of defences - and leave even the strongest man wanting more...

Okay, The Lost Night is another Arcane Society/Ghost Hunter books set on the world of Harmony.  Since the introduction of the Rainshadow angle in Canyon of Night, it seems that we'll be staying on Rainshadow Island for the next few books.

This is the first book of yet another trilogy - what is it with Krentz and all these cross-series trilogies? - and this time we are in search of the three missing stone from the dark and dangerous Preserve that covers part of Rainshadow Island.   I hope this means that the next 2 books will take place on Harmony because I'm getting sick of having a trilogy spread out amongst the Krentz's other series. I wasn't impressed that I had to get not only the Arcane Society book (which I don't mind because I collect them anyway), but book 2 was set in the Victorian era in the Amanda Quick series. I don't collect the Amanda Quick books!  However, I digress.  In all I did like the storyline, and who can resist those darn cute dustbunnies?  This incarnation, Darwina, is such a little scenestealer... but then they all are, aren't they!

I did find Harry Sebastian - our dark and dangerous hero - a slightly blank character to me. His responses are similar to every scenario, and I just didn't find him as engaging as Slade Attridge.  Rachel was fiesty and independent like all the other ladies we've encountered on Harmony.  My only real problem came with the characters of Marcus Lattimer and Nathan Grant.  They seem to spring out of nowhere with agendas, and have no real interaction with Rachel or Harry.  While reading the book their non-existant storylines bothered me.

Harmony is a great way to escape for a few hours, and I can't wait for the next installment of the series (and trilogy).  I'd rate it as 4 out of 5 dustbunnies.