Due to a number of variables, I have decided to extend my hiatus. I have only been able to read one book since my last review. I am hoping to be back in the swing of things by September of this year.
Thank you all so very much for hanging in there for me.
Annette M G Nishimoto
The Gothic Mom
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Book Review: Morning Light
Today's review is on Morning Light by Cora Cade
Morning Light is a
cozy little read with just enough "Umph" to put a smile on your face.
Unfortunately that is about as much as you get.
It's not that the book is poorly written or that the plot isn't interesting. In fact I loved the plot! I just wish the author would have taken the time to let the reader "get to know" the characters a bit more. As it stands, it comes off a bit rushed.
Noah Harper, who has just come home from his 10 year stint as an Army Ranger, just cannot stop thinking of the young girl he left behind. The girl who is now a beautiful and sexy woman.
Tennyson "Tenn" Sharpe was just a teen when Noah left for the Army. Even though her heart was broken, it didn't stop her from sending him letters every chance she got. After all, she had fallen in love with him.
Tenn could never have imagined how much those letters meant to Noah. How they kept him going all those years. Nor could she ever believe that he had fallen in love with her.
I know what you thinking. Where's the proverbial monkey wrench??? Are you ready? Noah's little brother is Tenn's BFF, and that seems to make it difficult for the two love birds to make a move. If their relationship doesn't work out, things could get a bit sticky.
Without giving amy more away, I must say that there is some "Adult" action in there. It's just a little on the PG side for me.
If your just getting into Contemporary Romance's with a little nibble, then Morning Light may be just right.
Squeezing by with 3 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
Morning
Light
About the Author:
It's not that the book is poorly written or that the plot isn't interesting. In fact I loved the plot! I just wish the author would have taken the time to let the reader "get to know" the characters a bit more. As it stands, it comes off a bit rushed.
Noah Harper, who has just come home from his 10 year stint as an Army Ranger, just cannot stop thinking of the young girl he left behind. The girl who is now a beautiful and sexy woman.
Tennyson "Tenn" Sharpe was just a teen when Noah left for the Army. Even though her heart was broken, it didn't stop her from sending him letters every chance she got. After all, she had fallen in love with him.
Tenn could never have imagined how much those letters meant to Noah. How they kept him going all those years. Nor could she ever believe that he had fallen in love with her.
I know what you thinking. Where's the proverbial monkey wrench??? Are you ready? Noah's little brother is Tenn's BFF, and that seems to make it difficult for the two love birds to make a move. If their relationship doesn't work out, things could get a bit sticky.
Without giving amy more away, I must say that there is some "Adult" action in there. It's just a little on the PG side for me.
If your just getting into Contemporary Romance's with a little nibble, then Morning Light may be just right.
Squeezing by with 3 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
Morning
Light
A Day of
Pleasure
Book 1
Cora Cade
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-61921-537-5
ASIN: B00C4U6MJ2
Number of pages: 82
Word Count: 25,000
Cover Artist: Lyn Taylor
Book Description:
His
toughest battle is ahead—the battle for one woman’s heart.
During Noah Harper’s ten years as an Army
Ranger, Tennyson Sharpe’s letters were his lifeline. With each mail call, the
bright and vibrant girl of his youth slowly became the woman of his dreams.
Now he’s home—and he’s in hell. The
problem? Tenn is his little brother’s best friend. Claiming her risks all kinds
of collateral damage.
Tenn is getting nervous. Since Noah came
home, they’ve been circling each other, neither willing to risk the status quo.
It’s time to kick things up a notch and make a play for the man she’s loved
since she was sixteen—before someone else does.
Dressing to impress works better than she
could have dreamed. After a scorching interlude leads to a steamy morning
wrapped in each other’s arms, reality comes crashing down. Shining a
devastating light on Tenn’s deepest fears…and forcing Noah into scramble mode
to convince her forever was always on his mind.
Product Warnings
This book
contains some serious foreplay in the great outdoors; stand-up sex with a hot,
stand-up guy; and a wounded Army Ranger who’s determined to leave no heart
behind—especially the one belonging to the girl of his dreams.
Excerpt: Copyright © 2013 Cora Cade
All rights
reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. Publication
Moving down the stairs
from the apartment to the pub below, Noah heard the distinct sound of someone
cussing up a storm. He quickened his pace to reach the door separating his
living space from his workspace and gently opened it.
There, standing on top
of his immaculately gleaming mahogany bar, stood Tennyson Sharpe in her bare
feet. All five feet two inches of her. She was on her tiptoes, reaching for one
of the light fixtures with one hand and a light bulb in the other. The stretch
caused her white, fitted tee to slide up her belly and expose a sliver of
summer-tanned skin.
She stuck her tongue out
at an angle—in concentration, he supposed. As she twisted the used bulb from
the fixture, she uttered a soft, “Gotcha.” The final motion to remove the bulb
caused her to dip forward on her toes and lifted her jean skirt higher, offering
a delectable view of her plain white cotton panties.
Noah instantly hardened
at the sight. He’d been in lust with this girl since she was sixteen to his
nineteen, and after ten years apart he was finally home. And here she stood,
flashing him the sexiest view he’d seen in years. He leaned against the
doorframe and watched the scene unfold, never happier to have given her a key a
few months back.
As she placed the fresh
bulb in the fixture, she stretched again. Her whole body lengthened, straining
to reach the fixture. She was all tan limbs and womanly curves. Her body was at
enough of an angle that he could see her breasts tight against the fitted tee,
but more importantly her cute behind as she placed both palms on the bar to hop
down from her perch. As she braced herself she lifted her perky behind and
flashed him.
The curve of her sex
flashed before him as those white panties intimately hugged her. In a flash,
both feet were planted on the floor and she was picking up the used bulb from
the bar, then slipping her sandals back on. Time to turn around and head back
upstairs before she caught him with a full-on erection and he embarrassed
himself.
Noah eased the door shut
and sprinted back up the stairs as quietly as he could, hoping to give himself
a few moments to calm his erection before she unceremoniously showed up in his
apartment for their breakfast plans.
He needed a cold shower
before they left or he’d never survive the meal. He was going to have wet
dreams about her white panties for weeks to come.
Stripping off his jeans
and plain black tee, he dropped his clothes where he stood and snapped the
bathroom door shut as his apartment door opened.
“Noah?” Tenn heard the
shower start as she closed the door behind her. Well, that was unusual. Noah
was nothing if not prompt. Ten years as an Army Ranger kind of beat that into
you. She rapped on the bathroom door with a knuckle. “Hey, are you alive in
there?”
“I’ll be out in minute.
Got a late start to the morning. Give me five.”
She glanced down and saw
a pile of clothes. Strange. Noah was also one of the neatest, cleanest people
she’d ever known. His place was always immaculate, with nothing out of place.
Let alone a pile of clothes tossed by the bathroom.
Now she was starting to
sweat. Did he have a girl here? Had she interrupted the morning-after? Shit.
That Amber bimbo had been making a play for Noah ever since he’d come home. And
if she was in this apartment right now, Tenn was going to die of embarrassment.
Right after she beat Noah to death.
They had plans. Even if
they weren’t the romantic kind, they were definitely plans. They’d had Sunday
breakfast as a standing date since his return from overseas. And he’d never had
a woman here.
Who was she kidding? He
had every right to get freaky with anyone he wanted. She was just the trusty
sidekick, the platonic friend who was always there. Like a lapdog.
Picking up the clothes,
she folded them and set them on the back of the couch a few feet away. The
apartment was neat as a pin and pretty spacious, as far as it went. It was an
open floor plan with only two separate rooms off the main living area, the
master bedroom and the bathroom. Everything else was one large, airy space.
From this angle she couldn’t see into the bedroom and was half-afraid to know
if someone was still in his bed. Warming it for him, so to speak.
Deciding she needed to
know, she took a step toward the bedroom after picking back up the stack of
clothes she’d set down a moment before. It was a perfect excuse to check out
the situation. His dirty clothes needed to be tossed into the hamper. Right.
She was about to fully
push open the bedroom door when Noah yelled, “Hey, Tenn. I left my clothes out
there. Could you grab them for me?”
And before she could
whip around and not look guilty he popped his head out of the bathroom door. As
she turned in his direction, she could only see a portion of his upper body,
with the rippling muscle and just-now-fading tan from his time in Afghanistan,
but it was enough to stop her dead in her tracks. The man was masculine
perfection and her panties got a little wet looking at him.
“Oh, did you want these?
Um, I was about to put them in your hamper.” Belatedly she whirled around and
held up the clothes in question. “I thought they were dirty.”
For a moment he looked like
he blushed. Really? “Sorry, I wanted to take a quick shower before we headed
out and I tossed them on the floor in my rush.” He reached out a hand and
beckoned her forward.
She was going to combust
before she reached him. Not only was the man deliciously muscled, he still
dripped from his shower. His dark hair, cut in a military-style buzz, glistened
in the morning light. Eyes the color of the ocean on a sunny day, clear and
crisp-blue, tracked her progress. She cleared the edge of the couch and his gaze
skated down the length of her body, snagging on her legs before coming back to
her face.
Once within reach of the
bathroom door heat crept up her neck and face when she realized Noah stood
naked on the other side of the door. His body was positioned so she could only
see a naked hip and the curve of a well-defined ass, but it was obvious he
hadn’t bothered wrapping a towel around his waist before popping his head out
the door.
She dropped his clothes
before he could get a grip on them and they fell to the floor with a soft
impact. Unbelievably, as she bent to retrieve the clothing, her face flamed
even hotter in embarrassment.
About the Author:
Nestled away in a small town in Ohio,
Cora Cade spends her days adding steamy books to her library, snuggling with
her four rotten dogs, and debating the finer points of life with the dear
husband.
When she's not tucked away with a book
you can find her tapping away on her laptop. With coffee. And music.
Web:
www.coracade.com
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/coracade
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Book Review: To Love a Highland Dragon
Today's review is on To Love a Highland Dragon by Ann Gimpel
I love reading Gimpel's books because they always have twists, turns, love, and just enough sex to put you in the mood. Besides that, who doesn't dream of the muscular, gorgeous, hunk of a man that declares their undying love? You know the one. He sparks the flame and keeps it burning all night long. And hey, I'm a therapist so I love the psychological aspects in her books.
After her parents died, Dr. Maggie Hibbins refused to learn magic and develop her witchie skills. At the same time she has pretty much closed herself off to all relationships. Her work at the hospital in Inverness is her life. A life without any romance. That is until she finds Lachlan coming out of a thicket. He's dressed oddly, and in need of a haircut and shave, but she takes pity on him and helps him out. Besides, someone that handsome can't be all that bad.
Lachlan has been under a spell and has been "asleep" for a very long time. He is beyond surprised when he ventures out of the safety of his cave and sees that everything has changed. Men in this era wear long britches instead of plaids, women show far more skin, and he doesn't see any dragons. Kheladin will be very disappointed.
The attraction that Lachlan and Maggie have for each other is strong and instant and Lachlan doesn't want to ever let her go. Even when he is sent back in time at the hands of his adversary. Thank goodness he learns that the dragons have mastered time travel long long ago. It's up to Kheladin to get them back to Maggie.
Fated to be together, Lachlan, Kheladin, and Maggie must defeat their enemy, but not without the help of the Celtic gods and a coven of witches. One of whom is Maggie herself.
Danger, Dragons, Witches, love and sex? Who wouldn't want to read this book?
4 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
Book Description: via Amazon
A modern day psychiatrist and a dragon shifter stranded in time can't escape their destiny, no matter how unlikely it seems.
In a cave deep beneath Inverness, a dragon shifter stirs and wakens. The cave is the same and his hoard intact, yet Lachlan senses something amiss. Taking his human form, he ventures above ground with ancient memories flooding him. But nothing is the same. His castle has been replaced by ungainly row houses. Men aren’t wearing plaids, and women scarcely wear anything at all.
In Inverness for a year on a psychiatry fellowship, Dr. Maggie Hibbins watches an oddly dressed man pick his way out of a heather and gorse thicket. Even though it runs counter to her better judgment, she teases him about his strange attire. He looks so lost—and so unbelievably handsome —she takes him to a pub for a meal, to a barbershop, and then home. Along the way the hard-to-accept truth sinks in: he has to be a refugee from another era.
Never a risk-taker, Maggie finds her carefully constructed life changed forever. Swept up in an ancient prophecy that links her to Lachlan and his dragon, she must push the edges of the impossible to save both the present and her heart.
After her parents died, Dr. Maggie Hibbins refused to learn magic and develop her witchie skills. At the same time she has pretty much closed herself off to all relationships. Her work at the hospital in Inverness is her life. A life without any romance. That is until she finds Lachlan coming out of a thicket. He's dressed oddly, and in need of a haircut and shave, but she takes pity on him and helps him out. Besides, someone that handsome can't be all that bad.
Lachlan has been under a spell and has been "asleep" for a very long time. He is beyond surprised when he ventures out of the safety of his cave and sees that everything has changed. Men in this era wear long britches instead of plaids, women show far more skin, and he doesn't see any dragons. Kheladin will be very disappointed.
The attraction that Lachlan and Maggie have for each other is strong and instant and Lachlan doesn't want to ever let her go. Even when he is sent back in time at the hands of his adversary. Thank goodness he learns that the dragons have mastered time travel long long ago. It's up to Kheladin to get them back to Maggie.
Fated to be together, Lachlan, Kheladin, and Maggie must defeat their enemy, but not without the help of the Celtic gods and a coven of witches. One of whom is Maggie herself.
Danger, Dragons, Witches, love and sex? Who wouldn't want to read this book?
4 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
Book Description: via Amazon
A modern day psychiatrist and a dragon shifter stranded in time can't escape their destiny, no matter how unlikely it seems.
In a cave deep beneath Inverness, a dragon shifter stirs and wakens. The cave is the same and his hoard intact, yet Lachlan senses something amiss. Taking his human form, he ventures above ground with ancient memories flooding him. But nothing is the same. His castle has been replaced by ungainly row houses. Men aren’t wearing plaids, and women scarcely wear anything at all.
In Inverness for a year on a psychiatry fellowship, Dr. Maggie Hibbins watches an oddly dressed man pick his way out of a heather and gorse thicket. Even though it runs counter to her better judgment, she teases him about his strange attire. He looks so lost—and so unbelievably handsome —she takes him to a pub for a meal, to a barbershop, and then home. Along the way the hard-to-accept truth sinks in: he has to be a refugee from another era.
Never a risk-taker, Maggie finds her carefully constructed life changed forever. Swept up in an ancient prophecy that links her to Lachlan and his dragon, she must push the edges of the impossible to save both the present and her heart.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Book Review: Incense & Peppermints
Today's review is on Incense & Peppermints by Carole Bellacera
Settle into a comfortable chair and grab the box of tissue because this book will touch your heart like no other. Incense & Peppermints combines romance and history like I haven't seen in a very long time. The reader has the front row seat on this fantastic roller coaster ride of love, danger, and drama.
Set during the Vietnam War, we follow the life of 21 year-old Cindy Sweets, an Army Nurse who was once excited to be heading to Vietnam to "make a difference there. To save some lives, or at the very least, to give comfort those who couldn’t be saved." But this young girl from Plainfield, Indiana was greatly unprepared for what she would see, smell, and feel.
Working in Ward 2 of the Evac hospital is nothing like nursing school. The whoop-whoop of the Hueys approaching signaling that mass-casualties will be heading into the hospital. The carnage being something she couldn't imagine nor would ever forget. Men brought in missing arms, legs, and even parts of their head and brains. She learns quickly that it's impossible to save them all, but it is a difficult pill to swallow. Thankfully she has good friends by her side and a good man that loves her.
Ryan Paul Quinlan, or Quin as he likes to be called, is just one of the pilots on base who job is to fly out and pick up the injured men in the field. With his beautiful green-blue eyes, his curly hair, and strong features, Cindy can't help but to fall helplessly in love with this man who affectionately calls her Cinnamon. Nor can he stop the love he has for her. But any and all American's are in danger during this war so when, after her engagement to him, Cindy finds out that the chopper Quin was flying was shot down, her heart breaks into a multitude of pieces. Quin is gone.
When our hearts break we tend to do things out of character, make decisions that are extremely poor and Cindy is no different. When she decides to skinny dip in the base pool it's up to her friend David to help her. It was the first time she REALLY saw him. The first time she realized how handsome he actually was. Could she care for him as much as she knew he cared for her? Could she one day Love him?
The way Bellacera has written Incense & Peppermints made the characters more real than any other characters that I have "met" while reading a book. Truth being told, even before I went to sleep after reading it, I cried for Cindy and Quin. More important, I cried for all of the men and women who not only died during the war, but for those who survived it. Yes, the book was that moving for me. I just think there could be less of those letters from home.
5 stars of 5 stars
Coming this Summer!!
Settle into a comfortable chair and grab the box of tissue because this book will touch your heart like no other. Incense & Peppermints combines romance and history like I haven't seen in a very long time. The reader has the front row seat on this fantastic roller coaster ride of love, danger, and drama.
Set during the Vietnam War, we follow the life of 21 year-old Cindy Sweets, an Army Nurse who was once excited to be heading to Vietnam to "make a difference there. To save some lives, or at the very least, to give comfort those who couldn’t be saved." But this young girl from Plainfield, Indiana was greatly unprepared for what she would see, smell, and feel.
Working in Ward 2 of the Evac hospital is nothing like nursing school. The whoop-whoop of the Hueys approaching signaling that mass-casualties will be heading into the hospital. The carnage being something she couldn't imagine nor would ever forget. Men brought in missing arms, legs, and even parts of their head and brains. She learns quickly that it's impossible to save them all, but it is a difficult pill to swallow. Thankfully she has good friends by her side and a good man that loves her.
Ryan Paul Quinlan, or Quin as he likes to be called, is just one of the pilots on base who job is to fly out and pick up the injured men in the field. With his beautiful green-blue eyes, his curly hair, and strong features, Cindy can't help but to fall helplessly in love with this man who affectionately calls her Cinnamon. Nor can he stop the love he has for her. But any and all American's are in danger during this war so when, after her engagement to him, Cindy finds out that the chopper Quin was flying was shot down, her heart breaks into a multitude of pieces. Quin is gone.
When our hearts break we tend to do things out of character, make decisions that are extremely poor and Cindy is no different. When she decides to skinny dip in the base pool it's up to her friend David to help her. It was the first time she REALLY saw him. The first time she realized how handsome he actually was. Could she care for him as much as she knew he cared for her? Could she one day Love him?
The way Bellacera has written Incense & Peppermints made the characters more real than any other characters that I have "met" while reading a book. Truth being told, even before I went to sleep after reading it, I cried for Cindy and Quin. More important, I cried for all of the men and women who not only died during the war, but for those who survived it. Yes, the book was that moving for me. I just think there could be less of those letters from home.
5 stars of 5 stars
Coming this Summer!!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Book Review: Beds and Blazes
Today's review is on Beds and Blazes by Bebe Balocca
Being a curvaceous woman, size 12-14, I like to read books
where a woman of my size and/or a bit bigger gets the stud. Let's face it, all
women, regardless of age, shape, or size want to feel beautiful and desirable.
We want the same instant lust a man feels for a sexy woman, and I can't think
of a better character to show that than Dora Fontaine.
Dora came to Charade in the last book and became the proud
owner of Bohemian Rhapsody, a delightful if not overly girlie B&B. So far
she loves her business, she loves her friends, and really does enjoy taking
care of her guests. If only she could get a little love in her life things
would be perfect. Be careful what you wish for.
Low and behold, Dora is visited by Mr. Dreamy himself,
Lowell Rossi. He's charming as hell and built like a god. Most importantly
though is that he falls head over heels in love with her, and her full figured
body. (Hooray!!) But along with getting tongue tied around her, he wants to tell
her the truth about himself, his family, and the other supernatural creatures
in Prescott Woods but cannot. It's against the rules.
The comedy of this book will cause you to chuckle, the
fantasy will whisk you away, and the sex.....Let's just say that the building
won't be the only thing on fire.
I loved Dora and salivated over Lowell. I can't wait for the
next book in this series. Please tell me there's a book 3!!
5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
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