Category: This one’s a Keeper

Review: Chaos and Moonlight by A. D. Marrow

Posted May 8, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 2 Comments

Title: Chaos and Moonlight
Series: Order of the Nines #1
Author: A. D. Marrow
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Published: May 6, 2015
Publisher: Full Fathom Five
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis:

The Nines, an elite group of vampires, was established to stand as protection for their race. Fractured by centuries of betrayal and loss, the group is now little more than myth, its remaining members scarred and shattered.

Taris, the oldest living vampire, is no stranger to loss and heartbreak. He is all that holds the Nines together as they struggle to save themselves from total extinction.

Enter the beautiful and brilliant Dr. Sarah Bridgeman, whose medical research has resulted in a breakthrough for both humans and vampires. Her work may be the salvation this weary band of guardians has been looking for.

Taris needs to reach Sarah and enlist her help—before those aligned against him can act. Can a vampire king convince a stunning young scientist to save a species that isn’t even supposed to exist?

For now, only one thing is certain: no science can explain the explosive chemistry between them.

Read on for my thoughts on Chaos and Moonlight. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: The Unlikely Lady by Valerie Bowman

Posted May 8, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

Title: The Unlikely Lady
Series: The Playful Brides
Author: Valerie Bowman
Genre: Regency Romance
Published: May 5, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis:

Miss Jane Lowndes is a confirmed bluestocking. She’s convinced that if she can wait out her parents’ demand that she marry, someday she can be a confirmed spinster and hold intellectual salons, her fondest dream. No man wants a bluestocking for a wife, after all. And that’s exactly the way Jane likes it. In fact, she’s invented a fictitious chaperone to help her achieve that purpose.

Lord Garrett Upton is a devil-may-care confirmed bachelor. He’s lived through the war, and now that he’s back in London, he intends to enjoy life to the fullest. Marriage is certainly not a part of that plan. He’s known Miss Lowndes for years, and the two of them have long engaged in a war of words. Jane’s latest scheme to pretend she has a fake chaperone is none of his business . . . until her desire to involve herself in a scandal becomes all too personal.

When Garrett and Jane mistakenly kiss at a wedding party masquerade, their well-documented dislike for each other is turned on its ear. And when a devious widow, who will stop at nothing to have Garrett, plots to keep them apart, will their desire for each other overcome their dreams of remaining unattached?

Read on for my thoughts on The Unlikely Lady. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: 50 Ways to Ruin a Rake by Jade Lee

Posted May 7, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

Title: 50 Ways To Ruin A Rake
Series: Rakes and Rogues #1
Author: Jade Lee
Genre: Regency Romance, Historical Romance
Published: May 5, 2015
Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis:

Mellie has a plan…
Mellie Smithson is trapped in the country with no suitors and no prospects on the horizon except, perhaps, the exasperating—although admittedly handsome—guest of her father. She’s looking for any excuse to go to London to meet more eligible men.

Trevor has a problem…
Trevor Anaedsley’s grandfather has cut off his funds until such time as he gets engaged. Trevor escapes to the country—ostensibly to visit his old tutor, Mr. Smithson, but actually to duck his creditors—where he meets Smithson’s lovely daughter, Mellie. The obvious solution is suddenly before him—but the lady has ideas of her own, and Trevor’s going to have to measure up.

Read on for my thoughts on 50 Ways to Ruin a Rake. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Unfinished Business by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

Posted May 6, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 2 Comments

Title: Unfinished Business
Series: Angela Panther #1
Author: Carolyn Ridder Asperson
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Published: March 25, 2014
Publisher: Booktrope
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis:

When Angela Panther’s mother Fran Richter wakes her up in the middle of the night ranting about stolen Hershey Bars, Angela thinks her mother’s got a screw loose. And then it hits her. Her mother is dead. Just a few hours before, Angela watched as the funeral home staff nearly dropped her mother’s body off the gurney while sliding her into the hearse. So maybe she’s the one that’s nuttier than a fruitcake?

But Fran keeps popping in and with a volcano full of drama already brewing at home—crazy or not—Angela’s grateful for her mother’s presence.

It’s the other ghosts Angela can do without.

Seems Fran’s return opened a portal between Angela and the other side and ghosts are hitting up the reluctant psychic medium for help. From the naked British guy juggling balls in the coffee shop parking lot to the woman desperately trying to save her sick child, Angela must find a way to balance her own life with the unfinished business of the dead.

Read on for my thoughts on Unfinished Business. No true spoilers, promise.

Waiting on Wednesday #13

Posted May 6, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 6 Comments

“Waiting on” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating… cannot wait to get our hands on… having hissy fits at having to wait… you know, waiting for the book is exhausting work!

Sometimes I just need to be scared silly – I’m thinking this one will do that. Spore releases on June 2, 2015

The dead are coming back.

Ten naked people walk from a cemetery into artist Sean Casey’s backyard: ten Spore People who used to be dead. One, Mindy, stays with Sean while trying to reclaim her life, but her ex would rather she return to her grave. Sean struggles to protect Mindy and other Spores while battling his recurring—and worsening—nightmares. Meanwhile, the media feeds a panicked frenzy that leads both the hopeful and hateful to Sean’s front door.

As the Spore fungus spreads, so does the fear. When mutilated children match Sean’s nightmares, he realizes his own worst terror may be closer than he thinks.

What are you waiting for?

Teaser Tuesday #10

Posted May 5, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 4 Comments

teaser tuesday One of the fun parts of taking part in blog hops (aside from getting to visit new to me blogs) is finding great ways to interact with other book lovers. This is one:

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I seem to be on an Historical Romance slant recently for my non-review planned reading. This is from the book currently on my reading table.

“You are so bent on getting the best of me that you haven’t even realized your lips are a mere fraction of an inch from mine. I’m trying to decide if I should kiss you and be the wild rogue you accuse me of being, or if I should step away and be the gentleman you insist I’m not. Tell me, Miss Prim, which should I be?” ~ The Duke in my Bed

HERE COMES THE GROOM
As a notorious member of the Heirs’ Club, Bray Drakestone can’t resist a challenge from one of his well-heeled colleagues—especially when it involves money and horses. But the friendly wager takes an unexpected and deadly turn. Bray is forced to agree to marry one of his challenger’s five sisters—sight unseen. Now gamblers all over London are placing bets on whether Bray will actually go through with it…

THERE GOES THE BRIDE
Miss Louisa Prim, the eldest sister, doesn’t care a whit what the reckless rogue at the Heirs’ Club promised her brother—she has no intention of marrying the future Duke of Drakestone. Bray, however, sees her rejection as another challenge. He bets that the fiery Miss Prim will not only agree to marry him, she will propose to him! With four sisters behind her, Louisa knows she can’t lose. But why does her opponent have to be a divinely handsome scoundrel? And so sweetly, irresistibly seductive…

Musing Mondays #2

Posted May 4, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 10 Comments

Musing Monday is hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm.

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I bought just one new book last week, which is a miracle for me. It’s described below.

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION:

What would you do if you wanted to buy a book for someone, but didn’t know what they like to read? Would you ask them? Would you choose something you, yourself, like? How would you go about buying them something?

My Answer: I’m pretty sneaky. I’d find a way to bring the conversation around to books and new releases – then ask them what they are looking forward to reading. That would at least give me an idea of what genre they read. Then I’d either find the book they said they were wanting to read or if that wasn’t out yet, then something similar. If none of my sneaky ways were working, then I’d take the easy way out and get them a gift card from a specific book store – so I’d know they still bought a book.

To me book choices are very personal. In the end I would rather they get something they like and would read, instead of my randomly choosing something that might not be in their tastes and would sit, unread, on a shelf.

I love my paranormal werewolves and vampires, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I just want something different. When I saw Dream of Me reviewed recently, I thought it would be a different and unusual read for me. I should be getting into it later in the week, I enjoy the “slightly different” so this one should fit that just perfectly.

Dream of Me by Quinn Loftis:

Since the dawn of time, Brudair, otherwise known as the Sandman to the world, has faithfully lived out his purpose, faithfully performed his duties. He has never questioned his lot among the immortals, until now, until her. Sarah Serenity Tillman, a consummate beauty both inside and out, is a high school senior five months from her graduation. She has great plans, dreams of leaving the small town of her childhood behind her forever. But destiny has other plans, and it’s the Sandman’s job to make sure those plans are fulfilled.

The tall muscular Sandman, known as Dair to his friends, dressed in black, wrapped in shadows, is more than a myth. And he has a job to do. His very existence makes him a creature of the night, because dreams, (yes the legends got that part right), were indeed his specialty. But his purpose was more than just weaving dreams for sleeping children. No, his dreams were made to influence, made to ensure that certain special individuals, those individuals who would change the course of history, actually accepted their chosen destiny.

Little does Serenity know that she is Dair’s next assignment. And the dream that he weaves for her, if she follows its influence, will change the course of, not only her life, but possibly the whole of history as well. But she isn’t the only one being influenced. The beauty inside of her was weighing on the Sandman, lighting up the darkness that was his constant companion. Her light was warmth, it was life, and he didn’t understand how he had survived the previous millennia without it.

The Sandman was indeed greater than anything humans had ever imagined, and his purpose was vital to the course of history. So what happens when the weaver of dreams gets so distracted by a mere human that he ignores his own duties in the immortal realm? How can an immortal who was never meant to have a mate, join a young woman in her destiny without irrevocably changing the lives of millions and potentially altering history in a way the Creator never intended?

“Dream of me, Princess,” Dair whispered into her ear.
“Then weave me a dream, Sandman,” she said softly. “And we can dream together.”
As her eyes grew heavy, she heard Dair’s voice telling her to sleep, to open her mind to him and let him in. I’m all yours, she thought as sleep finally claimed her.

Definitely different. This is the start of a new series. Have you read this yet?

Monday’s Pick #3 ~ Be My Love

Posted May 4, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

Be My Love “Monday’s Pick” is a feature here at Keeper Bookshelf that showcases a novel I picked up for free. This week’s pick was found at Amazon’s Free Kindle Books offerings.

Look for a “Free” novel to be picked each Monday and the review to appear on the following Monday. There are some really good “free” novels available (and some not so great too). Let’s weed them out. If this sounds like something you might like to take part in — awesome, just leave a link with your Free Monday Pick in the comment section and let us go check it out.

Blurb:

Come for a visit to Walker Island where you’ll find stunning Pacific Northwest ocean views, men too intriguing to resist…and five beautiful, close-knit sisters who are each about to find their one true love.

After four years on the Seattle mainland, when Hanna Walker returns to Walker Island to make a documentary about the infamous Peterson-Walker feud from the early 1950s, she’s shocked to realize that passions still run high. Especially when it comes to Joel Peterson, the one man who is totally off-limits…but that she’s never been able to stop dreaming about.

The last thing Joel wants is for Hanna to dredge up the past, but when he realizes she’s determined to follow through with her documentary no matter what, he knows he has no choice but to join her. But despite vowing to hold back his growing feelings for her, as Joel works with Hanna to unravel the mystery of what really happened between their two families, he soon begins to see that love is an unstoppable force…and that sometimes two people are meant to be.

Confessions of a Bookworm #5

Posted April 29, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 4 Comments

book confession I love taking part in features and memes. It brings us book lovers and book bloggers a bit closer together, if only in our shared love of reading great books.

There is a new feature over at Parajunkee. Confessions of a Bookworm. Here’s the link. And the information about all of this is located at that link.

This week’s question is:

Do you prefer using bookmarks, or bending the book page?

I raise my hand and swear I just got the shivers like fingernails on a blackboard at the very thought of bending book pages. *visible shudder*

I have a lovely collection of bookmarks from vacations, presents, saw it and just had to have it – that is the only way to mark the place in one of my books. I get violent when a book is returned to me with bent pages. My own mother used to do this and it drove me crazy. Needless-to-say, she got pretty new bookmarks every single Christmas.

On the now rare occasion when I do loan out physical books, several bookmarks go with them – with stern instructions to use them or else no more books loans for you. I will be frank in that I am anal retentive about never bending or folding down book pages. Never, ever.

Waiting on Wednesday #12 ~ Snatched

Posted April 29, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 5 Comments

This one caught my attention for several reasons.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Cocoon (which was made into an Academy Award–winning movie) comes a sci-fi adventure about family, love, and, in a universe teeming with life, deciding who and what are the aliens.

Six single, semi-retired, “older” women are inseparable friends. But their lives start to go haywire when mischievous Rosie submits her friends’ names to an ad soliciting “Mail Order Brides for Farmers & Miners—Distant Locations.” A few weeks later, as the six women are driving along a lonely beach road, their vehicle suddenly begins to shake, the sky grows dark, an eerie light envelops the van, and ZAP—it’s gone!

Exactly three years later, the van reappears on the same road. But this time, the women appear to be thirty years younger—and they’re all pregnant!

The “distant locations” advertised were, in fact, elsewhere in our galaxy. A process, required for deep space travel, has somehow reversed their aging. They are happy with their new lives. However, a universal law requires that babies of “mixed-mating” be born on the mother’s home planet, forcing their return. But as they re-adapt to life on earth, surprises and problems arise as they’re faced with a media circus, doctors, nurses, police, priests, and nuns, not to mention their new humanoid mates.

In Saperstein’s wacky, comedic-drama tradition that’s out of this world, Snatched builds to an exciting, uplifting climax that celebrates life, love, and the universal condition known as family.

No matter your age now, at some point in your life you might have heard about a movie called Cocoon – the trailer is below… Snatched is by the same author. This is why I think his latest book is going to be a fun ride. 🙂 Snatched releases on May 19, 2015

Review: The Werewolf Wears Prada by Kristin Miller

Posted April 28, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

Title: The Werewolf Wears Prada
Series: San Francisco Wolf Pack #1
Author: Kristin Miller
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published: April 28, 2015
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis:

Melina Rosenthal worships at the altar of all things fashion. Her dream is to work for the crème de la crème fashion magazine, Eclipse, and she’ll do much anything to get there. Even fixing up the image of a gorgeous, sexy public figure who’s all playboy, all the time. Even if he’s the guy who broke her heart a year ago…

Even if Hayden Dean is a werewolf.

Since his father’s death, Hayden’s the heir apparent to the San Francisco Wolf Pack—well, once he settles down. Hayden isn’t interested in giving up his partying ways, except he’s pretty sure he’s found his fated mate, and the fact that she’s a non-shifter is bad news. Now he must find a compromise between the traditions of his wolf world and his certainty that Melina is his…before fate (or another werewolf) bites them both in the butt.

Read on for my thoughts on The Werewolf Wears Prada. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: The Harlot Countess by Joanna Shupe

Posted April 28, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

Title: The Harlot Countess
Series: Wicked Deceptions
Author: Joanna Shupe
Genre: Regency Romance, Historical Romance
Published: April 28, 2015
Publisher: Kensington Books
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis:

Maggie, Lady Hawkins, had a debut she’d rather forget—along with her first marriage. Today, the political cartoonist is a new woman. A thoroughly modern woman. So much so that her clamoring public believes she’s a man…

FACT: Drawing under a male pseudonym, Maggie is known as Lemarc. Her (his!) favorite object of ridicule: Simon Barrett, Earl of Winchester. He’s a rising star in Parliament—and a former confidant and love interest of Maggie’s who believed a rumor that vexes her to this day.

FICTION: Maggie is the Half-Irish Harlot who seduced her best friend’s husband on the eve of their wedding. She is to be feared and loathed, as she will lift her skirts for anything in breeches.

Still crushed by Simon’s betrayal, Maggie has no intention of letting the ton crush her as well. In fact, Lemarc’s cartoons have made Simon a laughingstock…but now it appears that Maggie may have been wrong about what happened years ago, and that Simon has been secretly yearning for her since…forever. Could it be that the heart is mightier than the pen and the sword after all?

Read on for my thoughts on The Harlot Countess. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Wild Heat by Lucy Monroe

Posted April 27, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

Title: Wild Heat
Series: The Northern Fire #1
Author: Lucy Monroe
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: April 28, 2015
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis:

In the quaint little town of Cailkirn, Alaska, it’s impossible to keep a secret, especially one as juicy as the unexpected return of Kitty Grant. Tack MacKinnon remembers her wild red curls and even wilder spirit—and still feels the sting from when she shattered his heart in college. But there’s a pain in Kitty’s gorgeous eyes that guts him to the core, and Tack is determined to do whatever it takes to see the woman he still loves smile again—even if it means taking on her demons as his own.

After fleeing an abusive ex-husband, Kitty decides that the best way to heal her broken heart is to come back home. But she gets a whole new shock when she sees how undeniably sexy Tack has become. More handsome, more muscular, more charming—more everything—he’s impossible to resist. Before she knows it, they’re reigniting sparks that could set the whole state of Alaska on fire. Yet trust doesn’t come easy to Kitty anymore, and as things heat up between her and Tack, she can’t help but wonder if one of them is going to get burned .

Read on for my thoughts on Wild Heat No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Wolf by Nicole James

Posted April 27, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

Title: Wolf
Series: Evil Dead MC #4
Author: Nicole James
Genre: Romance, Motorcycle Club Style
Published: April 28, 2015
Publisher: Mark My Words Book Publicity
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis:

The Evil Dead Motorcycle Club gave Wolf his nickname. They said it was because women stood about as much chance with him as Little Red Riding Hood stood against The Big Bad Wolf. And maybe that was true.

For Wolf, when it comes to his club, he’s all about loyalty. He loves his brothers, he loves the freedom of the road, and he loves his independence. When it comes to women, Wolf is all about the chase. He likes the hunt, he likes the challenge, and he loves women. And for the hot-as-hell badass biker, they’ve always come too easily. But they never fully satisfy him.

That is, until he met Crystal.

Buried under that hard-edged sexy-as-sin tomboy with the smartass mouth that can put any brother in the MC in his place, is a feminine side she only reveals when pushed. And Wolf is just the man to push. Problem is she’s the only woman to ever push back. Which only makes him more determined to have her.

Life in the Evil Dead MC isn’t easy, and neither is loving one of them. It’s a life that can leave a man scarred and bloody. And sometimes the fallout is far reaching and takes more than a man is willing to give.

It can be just as risky for any woman brave enough to love one of them.

The scars of life run deep, for both of them.

Sometimes life doesn’t give you a fairytale, sometimes you have to make your own.

And sometimes it takes a spitfire to tame a hell-raiser.

Read on for my thoughts on Wolf. No true spoilers, promise.

Review: Sinfully Yours by Cara Elliott

Posted April 26, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

Title: Sinfully Yours
Series: The Hellions of High Street #2
Author: Cara Elliott
Genre: Regency Romance, Historical Romance
Published: April 28, 2015
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis:

After an eventful Season, Anna Sloane longs for some peace and quiet to pursue her writing. Though her plots might be full of harrowing adventure and heated passion, she’d much prefer to leave such exploits on the page rather than experience them in real life. Or so she thinks until she encounters the darkly dissolute-and gorgeously charming-Marquess of Davenport.

Davenport has a reputation as a notorious rake whose only forte is wanton seduction. However the real reason he’s a guest at the same remote Scottish castle has nothing to do with Anna . . . until a series of mysterious threats leave him no choice but to turn to her for help in stopping a dangerous conspiracy. As desire erupts between them, Davenport soon learns he’s not the only one using a carefully crafted image to hide his true talents. And he’s more than ready to show Anna that sometimes reality can be even better than her wildest imaginings.

Read on for my thoughts on Sinfully Yours. No true spoilers, promise.