Blazing Hot Cowboy by Kim Redford

Posted January 3, 2017 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Lauren Sheridan’s return to Wildcat Bluff after the death of her husband is bittersweet. Thirteen years have passed since she set foot in the place that’s always held her heart…and the sizzling memories of her high school sweetheart.

Kent Duval has it all. A proud rancher and volunteer firefighter in the small town of Wildcat Bluff, he’s missing only one thing from his life: passion. Kent last saw Lauren Sheridan when she was sweet sixteen and they were head-over-heels in love. Now she’s back, spunky daughter in tow, and he no longer knows which way is up. As the heat between them builds, Kent can’t help but wonder if past flames can be rekindled and second chances really do exist.

Titles in the Smokin’ Hot Cowboys series include: A Cowboy Firefighter For Christmas – Blazing Hot Cowboy

Blazing Hot Cowboy earned a 3 star rating from me.

Lord Sebastian’s Secret by Jane Ashford

Posted January 3, 2017 by Marsha in Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Proud. Cunning. Battle-hardened. Lord Sebastian Gresham is the epitome of military might and excellence. He’s wealthy. The son of a Duke. There’s just one problem: he can’t read. It’s a secret he’ll never tell, certainly not to his new bride-to-be.

Brilliant. Witty. Gorgeous. Lady Georgina Stane has always known she’d make the perfect bride, that is, if her eccentric family didn’t scare off every potential suitor from London to Bath. After carefully orchestrating a London season with her parents out of the picture, she secured an engagement to an impeccable gentleman. And when Lord Sebastian arrives at her family’s estate to meet her parents, she’s not about to let their antics ruin her perfect marriage.

But what happens when these two learn that some secrets aren’t so easy to keep?

Titles in The Duke’s Sons series include: Heir To The Duke – What The Duke Doesn’t Know – Lord Sebastian’s Secret

Farewell To A Princess and An Amazing Actress – Carrie Fisher

Posted December 27, 2016 by Marsha in Discussion Post / 0 Comments

I, like most every other Star Wars fan in the world am mourning the passing of Carrie Fisher. In many ways, I don’t even have the words right now to do justice to my swirling thoughts.

Even when the “stable conditions” reports were coming out, I just couldn’t shake a very bad feeling. I so wish that feeling had been wrong.

I was lucky enough to see Ms Fisher as Princess Leia the very first week that the original Star Wars movie was in theaters. Her kick ass and take names attitude, the sarcasm, the thought of a Princess heading up a Rebellion was exciting to my young eyes. Young girls didn’t really have such heroines back then. And to see her return to Star Wars as a general, still kicking butt and with Han was pure poetry.

Of course, Ms Fisher did other things aside from Star Wars. She lead a very public life, fighting her own battles along the way. I admired her, watching her overcome and move on made me simply root for her to be even more successful in whatever she did. I can’t imagine it was easy living up to “Princess Leia” – but I found her to be an amazingly strong woman with a lot of wisdom to pass along.

As with any public figure – I did not know Carrie Fisher, but I did enjoy her work. She shall be missed.

Merry Christmas, Baby by Katie Reus

Posted December 27, 2016 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance / 2 Comments

After unexpectedly inheriting a bookstore, Nora and her younger sister settled in Holly, NC, a place where it’s Christmas year-round. As the legal guardian for her sister the past few years, romance has been the last thing on Nora’s mind. But she broke her rules for the town’s golden boy—former SEAL Jackson O’Connor.

When Jackson does something stupid and almost loses Nora for good, he realizes just how far he’s willing to go for the woman who’s stolen his heart. But it might take a Christmas miracle to get Nora to give him a second chance.

Stand Alone Title

FDA Has Approved A Drug To Treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Posted December 23, 2016 by Marsha in Discussion Post / 4 Comments

I do not normally put a lot of my personal life on this blog – it’s all about the books. But right now I need to make an exception to that rule.

You see my son, who is 36, has Spinal Muscular Atrophy – if you’ve ever watched the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in the past, SMA is one of those diseases..

On December 23, 2016 (hours ago) the FDA approved Spinraza as a treatment drug for patients of all ages who suffer with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. What that means to us out here in the world is a drug that will be taken every day for the rest of the patient’s life… that has the ability to reverse the affects of Spinal Muscular Atrophy. It’s a treatment. Is it a cure? Depends on your interpretation of that word… to me the answer is YES.

For millions of people around the world – today is a very, very good day.

I’ve never sobbed such happy tears in my life as I am right now, even as I’m writing this.

Here is a link to the breaking news announcement that explains just why we’re so excited about this… FDA Approves Spinraza for SMA

I do not have adequate words to express my emotions right now. Unbelievable joy and thankfulness is as close as I can get.

The Montana Bride by Jeannie Watt

Posted December 22, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: The Montana Bride
Series: Marvells of Montana #1
Author: Jeannie Watt
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: December 13, 2016 – ORIGINAL under different title September 15, 2015
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

After a decade away, Jacie Rose has returned with her daughter to Sweetheart to renovate a historic hotel…and to lay some ghosts to rest. She knows she’ll have to confront mistakes she made in the past, but she didn’t expect to be living right next door to the guy she once asked to be her husband.

When Brett Starr was approached ten years ago by Jacie Rose with the wild scheme of marrying her to help her out of a jam, his white knight instincts kicked in and he agreed to be her emergency groom. The only problem was that the bride didn’t show up for the wedding. How’s he supposed to get used to seeing the woman he’s never forgotten every day now that she’s his neighbor?

Determined to provide the secure home life for her daughter that she never had, Jacie is not about to bring a man into her life—even one that she sometimes thinks should have been there all along. But Brett and Jacie soon discover the spark between them is even stronger than before… Now that their paths have crossed again, will they lead them back to the wedding that almost was?

Titles in this series include: The Montana Bride – The Christmas Secret – Catch Me, Cowboy

Seducing The Bachelor by Sinclair Jayne

Posted December 21, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Seducing The Bachelor
Series: The Wilder Brothers #1 and The Bachelor Auction Returns #3
Author: Sinclair Jayne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: April 19, 2016
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: Own Kindle Edition
Cover Description:

Single mom and veterinary student Talon Reese thinks she is volunteering her time, not her heart or her body, for Marietta Montana’s second annual Bachelor Auction. But when Bachelor number 3 hits the stage, igniting every hormone she forgot she possessed, she’s questioning her vow of no more men. With a man this drool worthy, some fun doesn’t have to be off the table, even if she’s not looking for a relationship.

Special Forces sniper Colt Ewing blew out of Marietta on graduation day and never looked back, until his former football coach asked for his help. Standing on the auction block is a tough mission for Colt until he meets his winning bidder, a woman who’s as warm and friendly as he is aloof and silent. All night her mouth has been creating sexual fantasies, so when she opens it to boldly proposition him, there’s no way in hell he’s going to say no.

But as Colt and Talon burn up the sheets, he begins to forget why he hates this town, and Talon wonders if she can learn to trust enough to fall in love. But will that be enough to convince him to stay?

Titles in this series include: Seducing The Bachelor – Want Me, Cowboy – The Christmas Challenge (THE WILDER BROTHERS – Tule often has titles in more than one series or grouping… this title is also part of the BACHELOR AUCTION RETURNS series which includes these titles: Bachelor for Hire by Charlene Sands – Falling for Her Bachelor by Robin Bielman – Seducing the Bachelor by Sinclair Jayne – Weekend with Her Bachelor by Jeannie Moon

NetGalley Wrap Up For 2016

Posted December 13, 2016 by Marsha in Discussion Post / 2 Comments

…and… that’s a wrap.

The last of the reviews I’d committed to for 2016 from NetGalley has been published, and now I can sit back for the first time in months knowing that I’m done and on time. I still have a few review requests to put the finishing touches on but I think I can safely say that I accomplished what I intended to.

I love NetGalley. I enjoy having the chance to read authors that I don’t know yet. But I’ve also learned that it’s so very easy to bite off more than I should. I’m going to be rethinking how I utilize NetGalley in 2017. I know I do not want the forced massive readings I felt I had to do in order to accomplish this wrap up of commitments ever again. I run Keeper Bookshelf – and my other genre specific book review blogs – because I love to read, to discover new authors and make some new friends along the way. I don’t want to lose that, and I was in serious danger of closing down the blogs. This is a hobby, an enjoyment and when that changes I need to rethink what I’m doing.

I’m going to take some time to enjoy “this most wonderful time of year”, do some reading (for pure enjoyment), post a few reviews, work on my holiday blog and wrap up on the other bogs for 2016. Keeper Bookshelf and Shifter Haven will always be my babies, my review blog babies, but I may do some streamlining and revising on the others. And to be honest, not feeling that I simply have to get reviews up because I made a commitment will give me the breathing room I need to make those other decisions. In any event I’m going to keep a much tighter rein on my NetGalley requests in 2017 – I can always add more if time permits, it’s not possible to give them back when I’ve got too much on the plate. And this year has proven to me that indeed “Life Happens” and it doesn’t care one little bit about what other plans you’ve made, ya know?

So – I’m proud of getting the NetGalley books read and reviewed. It was an adventure, that’s for sure. I’ll be around, maybe just a little less in these last days of 2016. It’s been one helluva year. *smile*

The Christmas Challenge by Sinclair Jayne

Posted December 13, 2016 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: The Christmas Challenge
Series: The Wilder Brothers #3
Author: Sinclair Jayne
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: November 15, 2016
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Prodigal daughter, infamous flirt and fiery-haired champion barrel racer Tucker McTavish blazes back home to Marietta with both a secret, and a personal challenge. She will keep a low profile at her twin sister’s Christmas wedding. Which means no whiskey. No kissing. No scandals. No fun. What she needs is a miracle, so it’s too bad when she visits the legendary Miracle Lake to plead for inner strength: a tall, dark, and handsome bad boy is waiting with a challenge of his own.

Extreme sports guide Laird Hunter doesn’t do boring. And he thought he didn’t have secrets. He thrives in carving his own trail through tight and dangerous spots, but when he finds out his entire life has been built on a lie, he heads to Marietta for answers. But when he meets the redhead with the killer smile, laughing eyes and body with more curves than a mountain road, he finds himself asking a whole new set of questions.

Will these two daredevils – with more than a few secrets between them – find the one person from whom they don’t need to hide ?

Titles in this series include: Seducing The Bachelor – Want Me, Cowboy – The Christmas Challenge

Bearly in Control by Milly Taiden

Posted December 13, 2016 by Marsha in Series / 0 Comments

Title: Bearly In Control
Series: Shifter Undercover #1
Author: Milly Taiden
Genre: Paranormal Romance Shifter
Published: December 13, 2016
Publisher: Montlake Romance
My Rating: 3 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

For vet and animal whisperer Charli Avers, talking to bears is all in a day’s work. But when she finds a man—a very sexy, very alpha man—where a bear ought to be, the wild comes close to home. Charli is drawn to this mysterious stranger. She wants to help him piece together the past he can’t remember—even if that means shedding her human misgivings and embracing her more carnal desires.

After shifting from bear to man, Barry believes he’s finally found his mate. Now he just needs to find himself. He doesn’t know much about the animal within him, but his human heart aches for Charli. She ignites his instincts to protect her from all danger—including their electric attraction.

The stakes climb as Charli investigates the mystery behind Barry’s memory loss and how it may relate to strange sightings and thefts in this little corner of Oregon. Without answers, she may lose Barry—and herself—to the wild side forever.

Titles in this series include: Bearly In Control

Could’ve Said Yes by Tracy March

Posted December 13, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Could’ve Said Yes
Series: Thistle Bend #3
Author: Tracy March
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: December 13, 2016
Publisher: Random House Publishing – Loveswept
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Having recently returned to Thistle Bend, Colorado, Ellie London is working hard to make a living as an artist, and to get over her broken engagement. She’s focused only on guarding her heart and healing her mind . . . until a cocky, undeniably sexy out-of-towner rides in on his motorcycle. Turns out, Ellie might have just found the perfect opportunity to prove to herself that she’s over her cheating fiancé.

After his own engagement falls through, EPA Inspector Collin Cooper is eager for a change of scenery in Thistle Bend. His principle rule of the road is not to get too involved with a new woman—and yet he can’t resist beautiful, outdoorsy Ellie. But when a local river becomes polluted under Collin’s supervision, resentment floods the entire town, running even deeper with Ellie’s family. With his job on the line, Collin needs to find a way to set things right—and hold on to the woman who has captured his heart.

Titles in this series include: Ask Me Again – Should’ve Said No – Just Say Maybe – Could’ve Said Yes