Wednesday Reads

I believe my old cold has morphed into a new one. That just doesn’t seem fair, you know? Well, while my cold has kept me too miserable to write, it hasn’t stopped me from reading (especially a book I’d been anticipating). Here’s what I read this week:

Mar 11: “Dying Embers” by B.E. Sanderson, a suspense with romantic elements at 372 pages long. Blurb from book: Emma Sweet is tired of being a good girl. When she catches her husband cheating, she hits on the perfect plan to pay back all the men who ever broke her heart. Revenge isn’t as simple as seducing her old lovers and tossing a match, but watching them burn is deliciously satisfying. The one time in her life Agent Jace Douglas wasn’t a good girl, she lost her family. Now she would rather run far and fast when it comes to fire. Too bad for her, she can’t walk away from a case where fire is the killer’s signature. Jace needs to face her fears and catch this murderer before the flames of her past—and the smoldering heat she feels for Detective Ben Yancy—reduce her life, her career and her self-control to ash. Emma was one sick chick. Made an interesting villain, that’s for sure. Probably why I enjoyed this book so much (not that the main characters were bad!).

Mar 16: “Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line” by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham, a mystery at 324 pages long. Blurb from book: Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She’s traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case. Now it’s spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is no simple missing person’s case. The house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica’s past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined. If you loved the television series, if you loved the movie, then you’ll love this book, just like I did. It starts off where the movie ended and lots of other stuff are still left hanging, so I checked...yep, book 2 is out there. . It’s a mystery, all in Veronica’s point of view, but it’s in third person, which made me extremely happy! I'll definitely be getting the next book. When, though, is anyone's guess!

Mar 17: “Becoming His Master” by M.Q. Barber, the 4th in the Neighborly Affection series, an erotic romance at 173 words long. Blurb from Goodreads: From rescue to romance… Teach a wounded submissive the value of his service. The task ought to be an easy one for an experienced dominant like Henry Webb. But novice Jay Kress challenges his teacher like no other. Still bearing the bruises of an encounter outside the bounds of safe consensual play, Jay is desperate to submit to the man who saved him—and shamed by his desires. Henry recognizes the dangers of a relationship built on hero worship. He’ll teach Jay how to stay safe, that’s all. He won’t take advantage of the younger man’s trust. He won’t share his fantasies about his dark-haired, athletic student. He’ll never claim this submissive for his own... I had been anticipating this book ever since M.Q. mentioned it, mainly because I wondered at Henry’s and Jay’s beginnings, which some of it was shared in “Healing the Wounds.” Well, my anticipation was thoroughly satisfied and I devoured this book in one day. I can easily see me re-reading the whole series. I may make it a reward if I reach my goal of 90 books this year. Heck, I'll probably do it even if I don't.

So… How do you feel about pre-ordering a book only to find the price is reduced once the release day arrives? I’ve been burned twice, now, so I won’t bother pre-ordering anymore. No matter HOW badly I want the book (I won't place the blame on the author in these cases--no, this was totally on the publishers). I can tell you, it won’t be a practice I employ. If anything, my self-published book will be cheaper FIRST, for those people who have been anticipating it. It’s the least I could do for my readers. Right?

Happy reading!

Stacy