Readers and Ritas Event

Hello, my fellow readers! I am sorry it's been so long since I last posted. Things have been crazy the past few weeks with the 'Readers and Ritas' event and then of course Thanksgiving. I hope you all had a nice holiday with your family and the ones you love!

The 'Readers and Ritas' event was a blast!! I had such a great time meeting the authors. They were all very friendly and fun to be around. I especially enjoyed meeting Michele Bardsley, Louisa Edwards, Kristen Painter, Roxanne St. Claire, Nikki Duncan, and Marie Bostwick (to name a few). I spent a lot of my time with Marie Bostwick knitting. I met her Friday night and mentioned I was reading her novel "A Single Thread", which is about quilting however told her it inspired me to learn to knit and how I contacted my Grandma to teach me over the holiday. Marie pulled out a knitting project she had in her purse and taught me right then and there. The next day I sat down with her and she had an extra set of knitting needles and some yarn. It completely blew me away how thoughtful that was. So I spent most of the weekend knitting and hanging out with Marie Bostwick! It was an absolute treat and something I will never forget. I now have the knitting bug and have since knitted a complete scarf for myself and I'm working on one for my husband. I am having such a fun time with it!!

Fresh Fiction knows how to put on a party and I'm looking forward to next year's event!!

Stay tuned...

The Scent of Shadows

Hello, my fellow readers! The next book I read before the 'Readers and Ritas' event was "The Scent of Shadows", by Vicki Pettersson. This was another first for me by Vicki. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the previous event, 'Boas and Tiaras' so I'm looking forward to speaking with her about this book.

The heroine, Joanna, has a traumatic experience growing up and she uses that as motivation to learn how to defend herself. She is definitely someone I would not want to get on the bad-side of because she won't have any regrets kicking your butt! Now that she is grown up she is faced with another challenge that fuels her even more to fighting evil shadows. In order to survive she had to take the identity of someone who she thought was her opposite. However she realizes they were closer alike than she would have imagined. I really enjoyed the description in some of the scenes that Vicki used. She was able to make you visualize them in your mind This book was definitely a page turner and I look forward to reading what happens to Joanna in the next book!

Next up I started reading "A Single Thread", by Maria Bostwick.

Stay tuned...

Charmed and Dangerous

Hello, my fellow readers! The next book I read was, "Charmed and Dangerous", written by Candace Havens. She will be a speaker at the 'Readers and Ritas' event I will be attending this weekend.

I liked the writing style Candace used for this book. It was set up as a journal by the heroine, Bronwyn. She is a 'take matters into her own hands' witch. I liked her 'take no prisoners' personality. She stood up to what she believed was right and fought evil. This book definitely made me want to kick some butt!

Next up is Vicki Pettersson's, "The Scent of Shadows".

Stay tuned...

Can't Stand the Heat

Hello, my fellow readers! Only 1 day away until I'll be in Allen, TX for the 'Readers and Ritas' event put on by Fresh Fiction. I am looking forward to this :) I haven't been able to read a book by each author attending the event however I have read more since the last event they hosted. So I figure it's a step up.

The next book I read was "Can't Stand the Heat" by Louisa Edwards. Again this was another first for me by Louisa. I could not get enough. The heroine, Miranda, has a spit-fire personality to match her red hair! I liked how she never backed down from a challenge even when the hero, Adam, goaded her into one. Even though Miranda is a food critic she is not a cook. Therefore when Adam found this out he decided she needed some lessons. Between the two of them things started to heat up in the kitchen and it wasn't just the stove :) I hope you enjoy these characters and this story as much as I did!

Next up is Candace Havens, "Charmed and Dangerous".

Stay tuned...

The Pleasure Slave

Hello, my fellow readers! I have been busy these past few weeks reading books by authors who I will meet in just one week!! I am attending the 'Readers and Ritas' event put on by Fresh Fiction. I have only read a few so I'm hoping to read as many authors as I can before the event so I am able to put a face to the name.

I have finished Gena Showalter's, "The Pleasure Slave". This is the first book I have read of hers. To be honest it was not one of my favorite's. I liked Gena's writing style, however the book just didn't grab my attention. The heroine, Julia, had a bad date experience when she was young and ever since she has been self conscious about her looks. She is an average sized woman but doesn't feel she deserves someone who is movie-star gorgeous. Luckily her sister has always backed her up and been her support system. When the hero, Tristan, comes into the story Julia is overwhelmed by his good looks. Instead of setting her sights on him, she sets her sights on her neighbor who Tristan calls 'Puny Peter'. I liked how Tristan was vulnerable to opening himself up to Julia. He has a past where he doesn't believe in love, however he notices Julia is different than other women. Even though this book was not my favorite it has not put me off of reading Gena. Once I finish a few more authors for 'Readers and Ritas' I will come back to her!

Next up is Louisa Edwards, "Can't Stand the Heat".

Stay tuned...

Twilight Saga and Jeweled

Hello, my fellow readers! It has been a while. It took me two weeks to finish the 'Twilight Saga' by Stephenie Meyer. Although the books were quite long, I enjoyed her attention to detail. With this series my least favorite book was #2. I got annoyed with how much Bella kept pitying herself when Edward left. I understand the heartbreak of your first love, most of us have been there, but after a while it's time to move on. Unfortunately in this book, I think Bella took heartbreak and self loathing to a whole new level. Having said that my favorite book was #4. At first I was creeped out that Jacob had imprinted on Nessie but then got used to the idea and I'm glad he finally found someone. Lucky for him she will grow up fast. I also enjoyed the fight between the Cullens and the Volturi. The twist with Alice was a nice turn of events. Stephenie ended the series well but she did leave herself open to continue the series so I hope she continues to do so! As for my vote on team Edward or Jacob...Edward all the way :)

After reading the 'Twilight Saga' I completed Anya Bast's, "Jeweled". This is my first book I have read of hers and I was not disappointed. Anya has a way with making you want more! Her characters in this book were very compelling and their stories quite touching. The relationships are between a woman, Evangeline, and two men who she has come to love, Anatol and Gregorio. The world she once lived for has come crashing down around her, luckily Anatol comes to her rescue. And when she returns the favor to save Anatol she seeks Gregorio's help. The three of them come into a relationship together. However Evangeline is unsure of her new feelings she has towards both of them. Is she willing to stay and give love a chance or does she doubt her emotions and leave before she can be rejected by Anatol and Gregorio? This book was definitely a must read :)

Next up is my first book by Gena Showalter, "The Pleasure Slave".

Stay tuned...