Year End Wrap Up

Oh, this is not good. I want to start the new year with a clean slate, but I've got a pile of books on my desk that I've read and have yet to review. Yikes!

I need to come up with a word other than "review" for this. I don't feel that I really review books, so much as read them and then share my opinion. Especially when I have a long list of books and I can't go as in depth as I'd like.

I might also point out that these are not the only books I've read since my last entry, these are just the ones I thought to leave out to remind me that I've read them. I'll be going over them in the order in which they're stacked up. I have no clue which I read first.

Comsmic Sex by Karen Kelley
In the summer, my two neices worked in a clearinghouse type book store and this is one of the books I picked up at a discount price. I gotta tell you, I was very pleasantly surprised. It was a fast read, which is not to say it was a short book, just that I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. The main character, Kia, was very realistic, which is saying a lot considering she comes from another planet. Kia crash lands on Earth on a mission to find her cousin to take her back home. She's helped on her search by a cop who can't resist a damsel in distress. It was fast paced and witty and yes, steamy too. I'll definitely be on the look out for more of this author's work!

Lucy Blue, Where Are You? by Louise Harwood
Lucy decides to get away from London for New Year's, and decides to go to Scotland to ring in the new year. After a lackluster time, a snow storm hits, cancelling her flight home and she finds herself sharing a car with a handsome stranger. By mutual agreement they decide that what happens on the trip will remain just between them, including their one night stand in a motel along the way. Once they're back in London and have parted ways, Lucy realizes she was more attracted to him than she thought and wonders what might have happened if things had been different. Just as she's ready to put it all behind her, she sees a poster in the train station that says: Lucy Blue, Where Are You? This was a very enjoyable read. I loved the character of Lucy. The story itself was well done, with a really interesting twist at the end that, in itself, makes this book a keeper.

Seducing the Moon by Sherrill Quinn
I'm pretty sure I read this one before NaNo, but the memory of it is still pretty vivid, which speaks volumes about how much I enjoyed it. It's the story of Pelicia Cobb and Declan O'Connell, a couple with a past history of steamy romance and betrayal. Declan left Pelicia broken hearted two years ago, but now he's back to claim her as his own. But first he has to figure out who's trying to kill her, and then he has to find the courage to tell her that now he's a werewolf.

I was hoping to just skip the anthologies I've read, but since there's seven of them I have to give them at least a nod.

Better Naughty Than Nice
A Harlequin Blaze trio of Christmas themed stories by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis, and Rhonda Nelson. The common thread that connects these stories is the meddling of Santa's brother, Damon Claus, in the lives of three unsuspecting women.

Under the Boardwalk
by Linda Howard, Mariah Stewart, Jillian Hunter, Geralyn Dawson, and Miranda Jarrett. Here we have the story of a sherrif who falls under a witch's spell during a blue moon; a virginal woman returning to the husband she ran away from ten years before; a high-society woman who meets the love of her life in a ship wreck; a pirate out to claim the one treasure he's always regretted leaving behind; and a private investigator and a chef who share a seaside romance.

Out of the Light, Into the Shadows
by Lori Foster, L.L. Foster, and Erin McCarthy. Four tales showing both the light and the dark side of love including: a story of a woman lost in love but afraid she'll lose the love of her life when she realizes she's pregnant; a Russian vampire who must come to terms with the idea that the man she loves didn't betray her years ago; a woman discovers that the man she's been working for and secretly loving, loves her back in his own dark fashion; and a police detective who falls in love with the dark and mysterious prime suspect of a series of grisly murders.

Cowboy Christmas
by Carol Finch, Elizabeth Lane, and Pam Crooks. Another trio of Christmas themed tales from Harlequin, including a woman who convinces the town marshall to come home with her for Christmas and pretend to be her husband; a man released from being imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit to pick up the pieces of the life he left behind; and a society miss who finds more than she'd ever dreamed with one of her former kidnappers.

Real Men Last All Night
by Lora Leigh, Lori Foster, Cheyenne McCray, and Heidi Betts. A man looking out his attic window gets more than an eyeful of his next door neighbor, never dreaming they have a past connection; a woman looking for a summer fling finds what she's looking for right next door; a chance encounter in a park leads to so much more; and a couple are reunited to find their missing daughter and find much more than that.

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2
edited by Trish Telep. Twenty-five tales of vampires and vampire love. There's something for everyone between these pages - some old twists, some new twists, some unexpected twists. A must have for anyone who enjoys a good vampire story.

Hell With the Ladies
by Julie Kenner, Kathleen O'Reilly, and Dee Davis. As much as I love anthologies, I really love the ones that have a connecting thread. In this volume we have Satan, who's tired of running Hell and is looking to pass the reins to one of three his illegitimate sons. One by one he sets them each a task. It's up to you to decide whether they fail, or succeed.