Wednesday Reads and Will BigRed Turn On?

Hmmm… Last time my hard drive conked out on me the Wednesday after I installed the new hard drive. And I had forgotten to post my blog. Well I didn’t forget to post this (but I’ve backed up my data), so here’s hoping BigRed turns on in the morning. I’ll keep you posted in the comments. Meanwhile, here’s what I read last week:

Mar 24: “Wish in One Hand” by B.E. Sanderson, first book in the Once Upon a Djinn series, an urban fantasy at 282 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ In hindsight, Jo Mayweather should’ve taken those words seriously back in 1926. Of course, spoiled brat, flapper-girl that she was, Jo probably would’ve made the not-so-clever wish that turned her into a genie anyway. Being endowed with phenomenal power may have its perks but, for the most part, life’s been a pain in her tiny hiney. After running into a ‘slash first, ask questions never’ genie, her problems only worsen. Some demented thing is making wishes that can’t be granted and djinn are dying. Now, instead of freeing her brethren from their bonds, Jo has a killer to neutralize. If she’d kept her mouth shut ninety years ago, she wouldn’t be in this mess. But she’s got a job to do despite some reject from a bad B-movie trying to ruin everything she’s worked so hard for. Too bad this time doing her job might get her killed. Or worse—enslaved again. Entertaining story, but not what I expected after reading the first chapter (because I don’t always read the blurb!). Now, if the first chapter said “Prologue,” I would have been okay (I know, picky me). This being the beginning of a series, not all the plot lines are finished, but the major one is wrapped up. If you’re looking for a different kind of paranormal without any romance, give this one a try.

Mar 29: “Time’s Best Friend” by Jennette Marie Powell, third book in the Saturn Society series, a romantic time-travel adventure at 343 pages. Blurb from book: In 1939, time-traveling, Appalachian farm woman Florie LaBeau fell in love with an 18th-century frontiersman, and vowed to cross time to be with him again. Then war broke out, forcing her to wait four years to travel back two hundred. But when she arrives in 1756, she finds her frontiersman doesn’t know her, Nazi soldiers occupy her historic home, and her only friend a mysterious dog who just might be their spy. Ousted from his home by strange Hessian soldiers, fur trapper Zeke Allen can’t believe his luck when his new hunting dog brings him a woman. Knowledgeable in the ways of pioneer life, the lovely Miss LeBeau could make the perfect wife, if not for her crazy tales of time travel, a club called the Saturn Society, and an impossible war in the twentieth century she insist she comes from—and to which she must return. Slowly, Zeke begins to believe Florie’s crazy stories as his fondness grows into a love she returns. But the men she calls Nazis tear her away from him, plunging her into a future where she must deliver information that could change the outcome of the war. Finding her way back to Zeke proves difficult. Harder still: convincing others of the truth—and saving her canine rescuer and herself from the Saturn Society, the very people she thought would protect her. Time travel stories sometimes really mess with my head. I guess that’s the fun in reading them and I enjoyed this story very much (kind of reminded me a little of Dean Koontz’s Lightning). I loved Damon. Heck, I love dogs in books. You don’t have to read the others in the series to enjoy (or understand) this one, since this one has different characters with different times. If you like time-travel books, I highly recommend this one. I think it's the best in the series.

So…  Are you looking forward to baseball starting up? Or are you still hot and heavy for hockey? Or do all sports just turn you off? I’m hot and heavy for the Penguins (since they’re hot right now), but I am looking forward to baseball, too. I love this time of year!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finally… Some GOOD News

That’s right. GOOD news.

On Friday, Hubby got the call we’ve been waiting for. His surgery has been moved up to the earliest possible date: April 4 (that’s because his surgeon is on vacation this week). That’s 21 days earlier than before. Three weeks this stupid cancer won’t have a chance to grow anymore.

Right now Hubby is enjoying all his favorite foods, because after the surgery… he’ll probably have a feeding tube down his nose for a few weeks. Doesn’t sound like fun, but if it means they got all the cancer, he doesn’t care. I guess I wouldn’t either.

So… Yay! Thanks for all the good vibes. I truly believe they helped.

In other news… We stuffed ourselves silly yesterday. Found out that fresh ham tastes a lot like pork (has the same consistency, too). Very good, though. But then, I love pork. Haha!

Did anyone here see the Batman vs. Superman movie? I haven’t heard anything good about it, so I didn’t bother. Maybe I’ll watch it when it comes out on DVD. Which reminds me, I still want to get the DVD of The Martian. Now that looks like a fun movie.

Have a great Monday!

Stacy

Really?!?

BigRed is on its way back to me. In fact, I should receive it via FedEx today. I went on Dell’s site to see exactly what they did to it this time. Remember, BigRed has gone through THREE hard drives since December (when I purchased it).

According to their site, Dell replaced the hard drive.

REALLY? How is this hard drive going to fair any better than the others?

I've had people tell me the mother board should probably be replaced. Or that I just have a lemon. Because no laptop should be eating hard drives as many as mine has in such a short amount of time.

Now, it’s possible Dell did more and just didn’t post it on their site. But I doubt it.

I wonder how long the new hard drive will last? The previous one only lasted a few days. Dell hasn’t kept BigRed with them for more than two. How would they even know if it will last or not without putting it through the wringer?

Grrr…

I have a feeling I’ll continue to work from my flash drive for awhile.

In the meantime, I got an e-mail from Dell asking if I want to extend my warranty for $63. I don’t think I want to give them any more money for a laptop they should have replaced by now.

So… Got any plans for Easter? We’re going to our Columbus friend’s house. She’s smoking a ham. Sounds yummy! I’m sure she’ll have plenty of sweets, too. She always does!

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads – 2 Weeks’ Worth

Didn’t get to post my reading last week because of computer difficulties, but at least I was able to save my file! Here’s what I read the past two weeks:

Mar 13: “Runaway Vampire” by Lynsay Sands, #23 in the Argeneau Vampire series, a paranormal romance at 349 pages. Blurb from book: Dante Notte has heard it said that love hurts. He just wasn’t expecting it to run him over in an RV. Still, a punctured lung and broken ribs are nothing compared to the full-body shock he feels whenever he’s near the vehicle’s driver, Mary Winslow. He needs to keep her safe from their pursuers while he rescues his brother. Most challenging of all, he needs to claim this smart, stubborn woman as his life mate. The naked, injured, insanely gorgeous younger man who clambered into her RV insists they belong together. If Mary wasn’t feeling their incredible connection in every inch of her being, she wouldn’t believe it. But now that the men who took Dante’s twin are after her too, trusting her gut means risking her life for an immortal who’s the very definition of a perfect stranger. These books are so much fun to read and this one is no exception. One of these days she’ll end the series. That will be a sad day for me.

Mar 19: “Entwined with You” by Sylvia Day, #3 in the Crossfire series, an erotica at 356 pages. Blurb from book: From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognized something in him that I needed. Something I couldn’t resist. I also saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside—so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I’d been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become. Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession… Normally, erotica in first person doesn’t interest me, but I like Eva, and she’s hooked me. Gideon’s not so bad, either. Haha! There are two more books in this series. I own the next, but the last one doesn’t come out until April 6 (I have it on preorder). This series has intrigued me and I want to know how it all ends. Good thing I’m enjoying the ride.

Mar 20: “Captivated by You” by Sylvia Day, #4 in the Crossfire series, an erotica at 356 pages. Blurb from book: Gideon calls me his angel, but he’s the miracle in my life. My gorgeous, wounded warrior, so determined to slay my demons while refusing to face his own. The vows we’d exchanged should have bound us tighter than blood and flesh. Instead they opened old wounds, exposed pain and insecurities, and lured bitter enemies out of the shadows. I felt him slipping from my grasp, my greatest fears becoming my reality, my love tested in ways I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to beat. At the brightest time in our lives, the darkness of his past encroached and threatened everything we’d worked so hard for. We faced a terrible choice: the familiar safety of the lives we’d had before each other, or the fight for a future that suddenly seemed an impossible and hopeless dream… Oh man, when I opened this book up and started reading, I nearly squealed in joy. I was reading Gideon’s point of view! I finally, FINALLY, got to see what he was thinking. Now, the whole book isn’t Gideon’s—the chapters alternated between him and Eva—but that didn’t matter. It was great and I loved it and now I have to WAIT until the next book comes out. Arrgh!

Last week I actually stopped reading a book after 70 pages. I just couldn’t see me reading the next 400 (yeah, it was a monster, plus, the type was small and tight making for a really hard read). I refused to mark the book DNF*, though. Instead, I just deleted it from my Goodreads list as if I’d never gotten it. No reason to give it a low score; I just wasn’t the audience for this book (I now know why women’s fiction doesn’t appeal to me—nothing really happens). I feel a little bad because I had won it (I was trying to broaden my reading genre), but those are the risks an author takes, right?

 

So... How often do you try to broaden your reading genre?

Happy Reading!

 

Stacy

*DNF = Did Not Finish

Need Some Good Vibes

Hubby got a date for the surgery… April 25. That’s too far out. Even the doctor thinks so. But finding an OR that’s open for 5 hours, plus making sure the robot they’ll be using is available, isn’t all that easy, I suppose. However, the nurse will be checking every day for cancellations. We need some good vibes for that to happen sooner rather than later. We really don’t want to wait that long.

Other than that… I had a nice weekend. Penguins won both Saturday and Sunday (making it a 6 game winning streak), putting them second in their division. Whoo hoo! They are HOT and it’s so nice to see. Wish I lived closer to Pittsburgh. I’d love to go to a game there.

Meeting with my writer’s group on Saturday was fun, even if we didn’t talk much about writing. Sometimes it’s just nice to talk to other writers. We can all commiserate how bad sales are. Haha!

I also spent a lot of time this weekend reading. Oh, I did some revising, too (which I don’t normally do on the weekend, but probably SHOULD), but I got hooked on this book and just had to keep reading.

HAD. TO. I tell you. J

My beta readers got back to me (all two of them). They both loved A Vampire Wedding (whew, I was really nervous about that), so it’s now with my daughter for copy editing. This should have been a quick turnaround, except she’s got two jobs in front of me. Figures. I may not be able to release this novella until May after all! Ugh!

So… Spring arrived on Sunday. Did you feel it? It felt more like winter to me! What happened to our warm weather? I want it back!

Have a great Monday!

Stacy

One Hectic Week

Monday: Hubby went in for PET scan, which took a couple of hours (had to wait for all that glucose to go through his body). The scan is supposed to indicate where the cancer is, since cancer seems to suck up the glucose. After that, he had an appointment with the nutritionist to learn all the things he can look forward to if he goes with radiation (like…not swallowing—ugh) and gets recipes for high-protein, high-calorie, easy-to-eat foods. Then we were off to see the radiologist to get the results of the PET scan, but the doctor wasn’t in. Apparently our appointment wasn’t for the doctor! They thought hubby wanted to do radiation and the appointment was for measurements. Hubby said he wasn’t making a decision until he spoke with the surgeon. So basically a good portion of the day was spent at the hospital. In which I forgot my phone, so I couldn’t even post on the Sizzle and Sass page (which I was hosting). Oops. But hey, my new hard drive was working fine.

Tuesday: Hubby went back to work. I went back to the fitness center. And I walked to the polls to vote. Now my arms are sore. But hey, my new hard drive was working fine and I actually got some revising done!

Wednesday: Had breakfast with hubby. He went to work. I came home and turned on my laptop. It couldn’t find the hard drive. Again. Tried turning it on many times. No luck. Contacted Dell. They said I needed to return BigRed to them so they could fix it. Again. But hey! I at least e-mailed my project to myself and was able to work on it. Figured I had lost what little I had created since installing the new hard drive on Saturday, but hubby disconnected and reconnected the hard drive and I was able to back up my files. Whew!

Thursday: We met with surgeon in Cincinnati. Encouraging news: Doctor believes he can cut out all the cancer and remove the lymph nodes and if he’s successful, then no radiation and no chemo! Surgery hasn’t been scheduled yet, but we’re hoping soon. Came home in the afternoon and took BigRed to FedEx (I sure hope it gets fixed). When I got back I got on TashaYar and it started acting up! Ugh! I swear, computers HATE me.

Today: No appointments. Hubby’s back at work. I should be able to go to the fitness center. My arms still ache from Tuesday’s visit. Let’s see if I can do the same to my legs. Don’t want them to feel left out!

Tomorrow: I’m meeting with some writer friends in Cincinnati. So looking forward to that.

So… that was my week. I really sucked at the hosting duties (for Sizzle and Sass), too. Hmmm… Didn’t I post something about timing recently? Yep. It still sucks. Why don’t you share some good news in the comments? I want to congratulate someone. J

Happy Friday! (P.S. This is my 900th post.)

Stacy

Out of Commission -- AGAIN

I had my Wednesday Reads post all ready to go, but forgot to post it last night. So I went to do that this morning after I had breakfast with my hubby.

My computer won't turn on.

With all the crap that's going on right now, I do NOT need this, too. I am almost to the point of throwing it in the trash.

Hubby said I should start arguing for them to give me a new laptop. I know I should. And I will say something. But I'm not a fighter. He'd do better to argue that for me. If I don't get anywhere, hopefully he'll step in.

So now I'm back on TashaYar, but my new files are on BigRed. At least I was smart enough to e-mail my WIP to myself, so I can continue working on Ghostly Interlude. But I wasn't about to re-write today's blog. I only had one book listed anyway. I may eventually have to re-write it (if I can't get BigRed to turn on to back up what little files I created/updated, that is), but I'll wait until the steam stops flowing from my ears.

So... Are you the fighter in the family or do you hand that responsibility to your significant other? Mainly I hand it over because he tends to enjoy it. I doubt I'll ever enjoy it.

Stacy

Here’s the Rest of the Story

Friday before last I mentioned my hubby was getting his tonsils removed and then I was pretty silent. That’s because the results of the surgery weren’t good.

He’s got cancer.

To say I was shocked when the doctor told me that is an understatement (plus I was still in the throes of food poisoning!). It really never even occurred to me. Because Hubby doesn’t smoke. Never had. Apparently that doesn’t seem to make a difference.

Last month he’d been complaining of something blocking his airway. At the time I told him if it was that bad, to go to the ER. He had a scheduled doctor appointment for two weeks later (first available) and said he would wait for that. Three days after that appointment they were taking out his tonsils. Well…one of them. He still has the other.

Now we’re talking about more surgery (the growth wasn’t removed at the time since the doctor didn’t know what she faced) or radiation. Chemotherapy has been thrown about, too. He’ll make his decision after he sees a second (or is that third?) doctor. There’s a lot to think about.

It’s barely in stage 2, so prognosis is good. But he’s going to have to go through a lot of crap before he’s feeling better again.

So that’s the rest of the story. So far. I sure hope it has a happy ending.

Stacy

Writing and Marketing and Sales, Oh My!

• Hey, did I hit enough keywords in my title? Because that’s what helps get my blog noticed, don’t you know?

If you can’t tell by now, I don’t give much of a flying fig about hitting the proper keywords in my titles. I believe in trying to make them entertaining. Or at least reference what my post is about. I’m certainly not a popular blog. You can tell that by the number of comments I get for each post. Not that I’m knocking what I have. I love those of you who comment regularly. And I thank you for that. Without you guys, I’d feel like I was just talking to myself.

Heck, most of the time I probably am anyway (non-blogwise).

• Did I spend sufficient time on Facebook? Guest blogging? Because if I’m not everywhere, how will people find me?

I spend way too much time on Facebook and for what? It’s not like I’m posting anything worthwhile. Heck, it’d be nice if I posted anything at all. I just lurk and flounder. How is that helping me any except take time away from what I should be doing? And as luck would have it, I’m hosting the Sizzle and Sass Facebook page starting Sunday. What timing, huh? I am not prepared. I am never prepared.

I’m my own worst enemy.

• Did I sit my butt in chair and put my hands on keyboard? Because if I don’t get three books released in a year, I might as well give up. Right?

I have been writing (revising) more lately. But certainly not three books worth. I swear I wrote more when I had a job. Then again, I wasn’t published yet, either. I really think that has a lot to do with it.

Unfortunately, I’ve let the outside world intimidate me into thinking I need to do all this stuff to sell books and I need to STOP. I mean, I want to sell books. Actually, I just want people to read my books. Kind of hard for them to do that when they don’t know I exist. And they don’t know I exist because I’m not everywhere. But I can’t be everywhere and I’m not so sure I want to be.

Am I messed up or what?

And in other super FRUSTRATED news… My hard drive is failing. Again. UGH!! Spent an hour on the phone yesterday with a tech from Dell. Now they’re sending me a new hard drive (hubby can replace it—thank goodness!). If this next one goes out, we’re going to have to insist they replace the laptop, because SOMETHING must be going on to cause the hard drives to fail. In the meantime, I’m still using BigRed (when I can get it turned on, that is), but saving my files on a flash drive (luckily I was able to back up everything—whew!!).

Tonight, though, I’m going to have some fun. The Penguins are in Columbus to play the Blue Jackets and I’ll be there to watch. Can’t wait. Let’s go Pens!!!

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and What Happened to my Background?

I’ve discovered something this week. If I could only read by my phone, I would never read another book. That has got to be the WORST reading experience ever. I don’t know how others do it. Here’s what I read this week:

Mar 7: “Finding Their Balance” by M.Q. Barber, #5 in the Neighborly Affection series, an erotica at 322 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: Getting to the one-year mark is hard enough in a relationship between two lovers. For three, just getting through the day can be half the battle. Between Alice’s headstrong insistence on pushing her sexual limits and Jay’s need to confront an abusive former lover, Henry has his hands full keeping both his partners safe and happy. But despite all the challenges—and unexpected dangers that lurk in their hedonistic world—the three have formed a union that brings each of them to the edge of something new—something they may not be able to hold onto... If you love MMF books, this series is for you. But I recommend starting with the first. You can only appreciate this book more by reading from the beginning. This one is slower than the others, but I just love being in Alice, Henry, and Jay’s world and don’t care. Their love seems so real. Look forward to the next. FYI - I wish my Nook hadn’t bombed out in the middle of reading this. I was forced to finish this on my phone via the Nook App. I hope I haven’t ruined my eyesight forever!

Mar 8: “Hard to be Good” by Laura Kaye, #3.5 in the Hard Ink series, a contemporary romance novella at 131 pages. Blurb from book: Hard Ink Tattoo owner Jeremy Rixey has taken on his brother’s stateside fight against the enemies that nearly killed Nick and his Special Forces team a year ago. Now Jeremy’s whole world has been turned upside down by the chaos—and by a brilliant, quiet blond man who tempts him to settle down for the first time ever. Recent kidnapping victim Charlie Merritt has always been better with computers than with people, so when he’s drawn into the SF team’s investigation of his army colonel father’s corruption, he’s surprised to find acceptance and friendship—especially since his father never accepted who he was. Even more surprising is the heated tension he feels with sexy, tattooed Jeremy, Charlie’s opposite in almost every way. With tragedy and chaos all around them, temptation flashes hot, and Jeremy and Charlie can’t help but wonder why they’re trying so hard to be good… Nice, short, MM romance in a series I really like. A lot. But if you’re not into MM sex, you could stay away from this novella and not miss anything from the series (since there’s an over-arching storyline that isn’t touched on here), which is a really good sexy romantic suspense series.

So… Have you noticed my background changed? I didn’t do anything to it. It's like it blew up and now I only get the sky. At least I only see the sky on my laptop. Do you see something different? Sometimes it’s not worth the brain power to figure out what Blogger is up to, you know?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Timing—It Can Suck

I had it all planned out. Packed my laptop. Made sure my Nook was charged. Ready to spend the day editing and reading at the hospital while my hubby had his tonsils removed.

The alarm was set for 5:30am (we had to be at the hospital by 6:30). I woke up at 2:15am.

Apparently I ate something Thursday night that had more than the ingredients listed. Something with a little bug. I was up every few minutes. By the time 5:30 came, I was exhausted.

Did I get any editing done? Nope.

Did I get any reading done? Very little.

Did I get a lot of sleep later? You betcha.

Since hubby has sleep apnea, the doctor wanted to keep him overnight to make sure he wouldn’t have any problem breathing. So I left the hospital early, came home, and crashed.

Then I thought I was gonna die.

I know, dramatics. But I did have a fever of 101 so cut me some slack.

Apparently food poisoning hits 1 in 6 people a year. I feel I’ve been that one too many times. It’s awful and drains you like nothing else can.

By Saturday I was feeling well enough to clean up the mess I had made on Friday (which turned out to be less than I thought—thank goodness!) and take a shower. And I was able to drive hubby home. After that? Yeah, I wasn’t in the mood to do much more.

Really, the timing couldn’t have been more horrible. At a time when my hubby needed me the most, I couldn’t be there. And the time I needed him, he couldn’t. It sucked!

At least by Sunday I felt well enough to finish the edits on A Vampire Wedding and return it to my editor. Something I had hoped to have done on Friday. Or even Saturday. Oh well. Better late than never, right?

So… Have you ever been that 1 in 6? I hope not. I don’t wish that stuff on anyone.

Stacy

Four Things

Since I’m at a loss of what to blog about today, thought I’d play this game I saw on Facebook. So here goes…

Four names I go by:

1. Stacy
2. Stace
3. Mom
4. Sweetie

Four things I hate:

1. Pickles
2. Drivers who brake for no reason
3. Filling out tax forms (you knew I had to put this in here!)
4. Shoveling snow

Four places I have worked:

1. U.S. Army
2. Civil Service
3. Fischer Engineering
4. Lion Apparel

Four things I love to watch:

1. Waves
2. The Moon
3. Snow falling
4. Rain

Four places I have been:

1. Grand Canyon
2. Niagara Falls
3. LaBrea Tar Pits
4. Waikiki Beach

Four things I love to eat:

1. Popcorn
2. Shepherd’s Pie
3. Bread
4. Shrimp

Four favorite drinks:

1. Coffee
2. Water
3. Diet Dr. Pepper
4. Peaches and Silk Smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Four things I’m looking forward to:

1. Getting taxes completed
2. A cruise
3. Another cruise
4. Dragon*Con

Learn anything new about me?

Please keep good thoughts for my hubby today. He’s getting his tonsils removed and he’s really nervous. I can’t believe he’s never had surgery before. I’ve had too many (and one big one to come—ugh). Guess I’ll have to baby him for a few days.

So… what are four places you have been?

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads

I’ve been busy. Here’s what I read this week:

Feb 24: “Sweet Revenge” by Rebecca Zanetti, the second book in the Sin Brothers series, a romantic suspense at 341 pages. Blurb from book: Matt Dean was born to fight…and kill. Members of a secret black-ops military unit, he and his brothers were genetically engineered by the government to be the perfect soldiers with an expiration date. Now, with time running out, he’s gone rogue in a relentless quest for the one person who can save them. His mission leads him to Charmed, Idaho…and to a beautiful woman with eyes like emeralds and a body made for pleasure. Laney Jacobs knows the mysterious, handsome stranger is trouble from the moment he walks into her bar, looking for a job. She’s spent years running from her own past—the last thing she needs is a romantic entanglement. But Matt’s strong arms offer her protection, and his gentle touch promises passion unlike anything she’s ever known. As lethal forces surround them, revealing explosive secrets about Matt’s past and putting everything—and everyone—he holds dear in danger, can he save them all before time runs out? Holy cannoli! I can’t believe how long I waited to get back into this series. Stupid me!! This book (this series) has everything I love: hot guys, sexy scenes, and a suspense that keeps me turning the pages. Totally entertaining. Got the next one sitting here and I’m not waiting this time!

Feb 27: “Blind Faith” by Rebecca Zanetti, the third book in the Sin Brothers series, a romantic suspense at 368 pages. Blurb from book: For Nate Dean, love is a four-letter word. As part of a secret black-ops military unit, he and his brothers were genetically engineered by the government to be ruthless soldiers with an expiration date. They were loyal only to one another…until Nate laid eyes on the woman who stole his heart and blew his world apart. Now, years later, his family is still paying the price for his mistake. But as time runs out, there’s only one person who can save his family, the very woman Nate swore he’d never trust again. The moment Audrey Madison spies Nate across a crowded ballroom, she can barely breathe. He’s just as undeniably sexy as she remembers, yet there’s an edge to him now that’s as irresistible as it is dangerous. When he asks for her help, Audrey can’t refuse. But she has secrets of her own—secrets that, if Nate ever discovers them, may cost them both their lives… You know when you get toward the end of the book and you don’t want to put it down? Well, I pretty much felt that way through the whole thing!

Mar 1: “Total Surrender” by Rebecca Zanetti, the fourth and final book in the Sin Brothers series, a romantic suspense at 353 pages. Blurb from book: Piper Oliver knows she can’t trust him. They warned her that the tall, dark, and sexy black-ops soldier Jory Dean would try to win her over with his steel-gray eyes and deadly charm, but she won’t be conned by this man they call a traitor. All she has to do is figure out the science necessary to save his life, and she’s done. Something isn’t adding up, though, and she won’t rest until she uncovers the truth—even if it’s buried in his deep, dangerous kiss. Jory will do anything to reunite with and save his brothers—even kidnap the gorgeous woman who’s working to deactivate the deadly chip in their spines. But the forces determined to destroy his family won’t let them go so easily. Keeping Piper alive is more than he bargained for—and so is his burning desire for her. But with every second bringing him closer to certain death, can he afford to lose himself in her hot and willing embrace? Loved it. Loved the whole series. It thoroughly entertained me, and isn’t that what a book should do? I probably could have read it faster, but forced myself to slow down and savor the read.

Well… My giveaway was pretty much a bust. No one won any of the books since only nine people played. Yep. Nine. Told you I sucked at advertising. Of course, you’d think Amazon might have helped a little. At least in Goodreads, the giveaways are listed. I couldn’t find anything like that in Amazon. Then again, maybe I’m blind. It’s been known to happen.

So… What are you reading? Is it knocking your socks off or just passing the time?

Happy Reading!

Stacy