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Come As You Are by Theresa Weir

October 9, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a copy for review via NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Molly Young has a secret. To keep it she holds the world at a distance. Behind her lies a trail of dumped boyfriends who came too close to discovering what no one can know. When her estranged father dies of an unexpected heart attack he leaves an even deeper secret, one tied to Molly’s.

At the funeral repast Molly is unable to tolerate the shoulder-to-shoulder mourners and runs out the door and down the street to the nearest bar. Come dawn, with no memory of the past ten hours, she finds herself in bed with a beautiful stranger. She slips away before he wakes up, unaware of the role he’s about to play in her life. Is he the one guy who can convince Molly to face her painful secret and become the person she’s meant to be?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’m not sure how helpful this review will be to anyone because it’s been days since I read the book and I still don’t quite know what to make of it. Even describing the story seems spoilerish but I can’t work out another way to do it. So, with the warning that there may be spoilers (I can’t tell if they count as spoilers or not), let’s proceed.

Learning Curve by Kaje Harper

October 7, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’m a fan of the series. The books are expensive so I used a 50% off coupon at Kobo to ease the pain.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Mac is afraid he’ll never recover enough to go back to being a cop, while Tony is afraid that he will.

Three months after being shot, Detective Jared MacLean is healing, but he’s afraid it may not be enough to go back on the job. He won’t give up, though. Being a cop is written deep in Mac’s bones, and he’ll do whatever it takes to carry his badge again.

Tony used to wish he could have Mac safely home, but watching his strong husband battle disabilities is far from Tony’s dream come true. When Mac is asked to consult on a case involving one of Tony’s students, both men will have to face old demons and new fears to find a way to move forward together.

Warning: Series spoilers.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I like Mac and Tony and there is something attractive to me in seeing what happens “after the HEA” for some of my favourite couples. At the end of the last book, Mac had been shot in the head and was on disability, recovering from a traumatic brain injury, his goal being to get back to the job he loves. Tony is struggling with wanting Mac to be safe and wanting him to be the man he is – something which seems mutually exclusive.

I’m Over at Dear Author…

October 4, 2013 / Kaetrin

with a review of Headfirst Falling by Melissa Guinn. Regular readers of this blog will probably have no trouble guessing the two other books I refer to in the opening paragraph.

Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins

October 3, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Jane from Dear Author told me about this one and that she thought I would like it (she was right). So I ~~begged~~ asked the publicist for a review copy. Lucky for me, she said yes.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She’ll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father’s French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami’s family while recovering from serious injuries. And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.

Julian’s all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami’s starting to feel. And Cami can’t stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He’s got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated….

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Stir Me Up covers Cami Broussard’s senior year of high school. Just about to turn 18, her French chef father is pressuring her to go to college after she graduates. Cami wants to be a chef but her father thinks that job takes too much away from family time and wants her to have another option to fall back on should (okay, when) she get[s] married and have/has children. Cami’s father didn’t have the opportunity to go to college and it is clear he feels regret about not being around for her more.

Cami wants to cook. She’s been working in her father’s restaurant since she was 10 years old. She doesn’t need to go to cooking school and going to college won’t get her where she wants to go. For all, that Cami isn’t exactly sure what kind of chef she wants to be. She doesn’t want to work in her father’s restaurant for the rest of her life; she knows she wants to cook, but beyond that? Well, she’s got some things to work out, assuming she can convince her father she’s not going to college.

I’m Over at AudioGals…

October 2, 2013 / Kaetrin

with an audiobook review of Love at First Sight by Lori Wilde, narrated by CJ Critt. Not a huge success for me, but I liked the narration.

September Round Up

October 1, 2013 / Kaetrin

on Paper/eBook

Screw The Fags by Josephine Myles – B- This free short follows on from the events of Screwing the System. I think it could probably be read as a stand alone and there aren’t really any spoilers in it but it does make much more sense if you’ve read the earlier story. Screw the Fags picks up some 10 months after the end of the Screwing the System when Alisdair is trying to decide what to buy Cosmo for his birthday (which is on Valentine’s Day). Cosmo wants a car and Alisdair agrees to buy him one if he quits smoking. How Alisdair asists Cosmo to take his mind off his cravings is… novel. ;P I liked it because it gave me a glimpse of the couple a bit further on in their relationship and showed me both how it had grown and also how it had settled. It is only about 30 pages so it’s a quick read. I enjoyed catching up with the pair and seeing a bit of their HEA. And I got a laugh out of the sex-yoga positions.