Wednesday Reads and Cruising Along

One thing nice about cruising to US cities: I can still use my phone and thus the internet (by using my phone as a hotspot). That won’t last though. Next two stops of our cruise are in Canada. No more posting pictures on Facebook. No more checking e-mails. At least until we get home on Sunday.

While we had a good time in Portland on Tuesday, Boston was a disappointment on Monday. We were supposed to dock at 2:00pm, but one of the engines wasn’t working like it should and we arrived two hours late. Hubby and I had planned to ride the subway over to Fenway and take a tour of the ballpark. But the last tour started at 5:00pm and we didn’t think we’d make it in time. But the engine is fixed now and everything is back to normal. Whatever normal is, I guess.

Anyway, here’s what I read this week:

Sep 9: “The Siren’s Touch” by Amber Belldene, a paranormal romance at 209 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: One touch can change everything… Hitman Dmitri Lisko is determined to avenge his father. Once he takes out the man he believes is responsible for his family’s tragedies, he’s done killing for good. But a mysterious woman may tempt Dmitri to change his plan. Sonya Truss was murdered in a Ukrainian village in 1968. Now she’s reappeared in San Francisco as a rusalka—the ghost of a wronged woman. And she’s thirsty for the blood of her killer. But she has to make things right before she’s trapped between worlds forever. Sonya's enigmatic siren powers stir Dmitri's long-buried chivalry, and he finds himself compelled to help her. He also can’t resist giving her a taste of the pleasures she never experienced while she was alive. Soon they discover that touch has surprising consequences. Yet when their shared mission comes to cross-purposes, they must choose between deadly sacrifice—or surrendering to the one act that can save them both. I really enjoyed this book. Lots of fun stuff and sexy scenes, not to mention—GHOST STORY! Yeah, I love ghost stories. And I breezed through this one.

Sep 12: “Death Sword” by Pamela Turner, a paranormal romance at 155 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: The only thing more dangerous than an angel of death is one obsessed with vengeance. Karla Black has always known she’s different from other people. She learns just how different after she's fatally stabbed and brought back to life as a half-human angel of death. With newfound power comes a newfound boss. Samael despises her. He considers Karla impure and resents her relationship with her partner Xariel…who also happens to be Samael's ex-lover. When he takes that hatred to a higher level, Karla vows vengeance - a task easier said than done. With the loss of their angelic powers, Karla and Xariel face a dilemma – how will they defeat an unstoppable Samael, whose poisoned rapier can kill human and angel alike? If Karla doesn’t awaken to her true identity, both heaven and earth are in danger of annihilation. I had trouble connecting with the characters, but if you’re into angel stories, you’ll probably like this.

 

Sep 15: “Want It” by Jennifer Chance, #3 in the Rule Breakers series, a contemporary romance at 242 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: In the latest tantalizing Rule Breakers novel from Jennifer Chance, an irresistible alpha male follows his ex into a deadly standoff—and reignites a heated affair. For Erin Connelly, being a good girl isn’t such a bad thing. She’s working her dream job at a Boston art gallery and staying out of trouble, which is more than she can say for her deadbeat mom. Unfortunately, her mother’s latest misadventure lands her in the clutches of a Mexican drug lord. Now the only person who can save her is the one man Erin has no business asking for help: the sexy-as-sin army ranger who just so happens to be her former high school sweetheart. Zander James is no gentleman—and no officer, either, thanks to Erin. Four years ago, she made a call that terminated his highest aspirations . . . and their relationship. He’s never forgiven her, but when he learns that Erin’s embarking on a half-baked rescue mission, he sure as hell can’t let her go alone. Now, with a treacherous enemy lying in wait, the electrifying tension between them may just be Zander’s undoing. Because while he may be able to keep Erin alive, he can’t promise to keep his hands off her.  I enjoyed the story, even though I had a few issues with it, most of them having to do with Zander’s military service, but that shouldn’t take away from the average (non-military) reader. Since I hadn’t read the first books in this series, I thought maybe I would get lost in that regard, but this story was complete all on its own and I didn’t feel lost at all, so no reason why you couldn’t read them out of order. If you love lots of sex with your adventure, this is the book for you.

Happy Reading and I’ll see you next week!

Stacy