Say Yes (Something More Book Two) by Tara West

Christina has not had the best childhood. Having been raped by her father and betrayed by her mother, she's convinced that starting a family of her own would be a disaster. So, simply, she's decided not to. Here's the catch--though she doesn't want her own kids, she loves her godson more than anything--something Andres (her boyfriend) just doesn't get (things are a bit sketch bc the father of her godson happens to be her ex-fiance). So when Andres starts to hint at wanting to get married and start a family, it's time to freak out, freeze up and not know what to do! So Andres takes action and, against his heart's feelings, walks out on her--what's he doing if they don't want the same things in life? Christina, not a stranger to betrayal, takes Andres' break-up as another one of the crappy cards she's been dealt in life. Then things start to get better (or stranger?) when a stranger pops up into her life claiming to be her biological mother. With nothing left to lose, Christina jumps into her car and goes to meet and spend some time with her "new family". Will this experience change her for the better? Read to find out :)

Definitely one of the better books I've read in the last few weeks...so much so, I stayed up until 4am because I just had to finish it! I'm paying for that dearly now and I'm sure I will be pretty damned tired around 6pm tonight lol. Andres and Christina have a really intense, passionate affair going on. They may be a new relationship but it is not a light one. Christina and Andres both have their insecurities that come into play big time during the novel. It actually derails their relationship for a bit. The lessons they learn as the story progresses brings them back together but not until after you get quite a few heart-aching moments. I'm not going to lie--I shed a few tears here and there! The characters were well developed and the story is pretty meaty. I'm off to find the other two books in this series now!

Kindle, Nook and Kobo editions of Say Yes are available for purchase at their respective e-tailers! 

Yank by Selena Kitt

I don't normally mind erotica/new adult. In fact, I usually like it. I felt, though, that this was very little story with a whole lot of literary porn (yes, I realize that's what erotica is). Just didn't really love this one and I tend to enjoy erotica/new adult novels. Right from the get-go, we're launched into David wanking off to his porn collection. In what feels like 2 seconds later, he's passing second base with the foreign exchange student he's always viewed as an annoying older sister (and also lives with his family!). David and Dawn start off rounding second base, quickly onto third and by a quarter of the book they've hit the ball out of the park. Then you throw in a couple of extra characters and there's interchanging of partners. There was very little story and little to no character development. There was just sex. A whole lot of sex. It was a setting change, sex, different location, sex, different time of day, sex. It got a bit tiring with all the sex scenes (did I just say that aloud!!?). I guess I just prefer a bit more story! Wasn't horrible, I got a bit bored at times and the ending was really sudden and, to me, ridiculous. Guess it just wasn't my cup o' tea...

You can purchase the Kindle version of Yank on amazon.ca!

Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi

Dorothy Jarrow or DJ is your proper, preppy librarian trying to keep her past in her past. With no family or ties, she moves to a small town in Kansas hoping to finally lay some roots. As happy as she is to be in a new time, she's faced with disgruntled employees at work and her landlady who seems to overstep boundaries with no hesitation. To make things worse, she runs into the one thing she's running away from--the mistake she made that one time in San Padre...

Love Overdue was a nice story. Not only did it touch on new, undeveloped love but the secondary focus was on true, partners-for-life kind of love and its effects. The kind of love that most of us search for in life where one cannot bear to live on past the passing of one's soulmate. I thought that was nice for added depth to your, otherwise, typical romance. I didn't like how the novel ended, though. I felt like there was more that could have gone from the point when Scott finally realizes who DJ is. I didn't love how it went from "epiphany" to "eight years later". It felt unrefined and super rushed with that ending...

You can purchase Kindle or Kobo editions online or find Love Overdue at your local bookstore!

All Fired Up by Kate Meader

Cara DeLuca is from your stereotypical Italian breeding where life revolves around food and family. These are two things that Cara has never felt comfortable with. Shane Doyle is a self-made pastry chef from a rough upbringing. The two are so completely different and, yet, after a drunken night in Vegas end up together...MARRIED. Oops! Having skipped over the whole dating thing, Cara and Shane find themselves getting to know each other while trying to keep their secret marriage under wraps from their family and friends (all while trying to annul the nuptials!). The more time they spend together the more irresistible they become to each other. Could there be some merit to their impulsive, out-of-character actions?

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The great thing about having a stack of books to get through is that you forget what each book is about. I also make it a policy not to read the backs of books before I pick it up--if it ended up on my "to read" pile, it got there for a reason. And, mannnn, did this book start off with a couple of big detonations. The book starts off with what you think it was just a one night stand, but, BAM, Bomb #1: by the end of the chapter you find out that there was an alcohol-induced elopement. And, as if that weren't excitement enough, by the second chapter, BOOM, you get Bomb #2: Shane is Jack's half-brother. In the first two chapters you've got two huge storylines started. Kate does not disappoint. There's such development with the characters that you really get to the point where you feel their pain with them. She really digs in with the themes of mental illness and abusive behaviour on a few different levels. It made the book a bit more than your average love story. A thoroughly enjoyable read. It was a slow, sexy read (definitely digging the boots and the Stetson!!). I think it would have been a lot of fun if Jack knew all along that Shane was his brother but that's just asking for too much drama, right?

The Kindle and Nook versions of All Fired Up are available for purchase!

Switched by Cassie Mae

What a concept. Kayla is in love with her best friend's boyfriend--Talon. Wesley, is in love with HIS best friend's girlfriend--Reagan. Talon and Reagan have no clue what's going on...Kayla and Wesley come up with a devious plan to break up the couple so that Kayla and Wesley can end up with the objects of their obessions...easy, peasy, cheesy, right?

Is there such thing as a love quadrilateral? I guess there is now!! Oh what fun and drama goes on between the four of these friends!! Kayla has been the quiet bystander to her best friend for her entire life. She's picked NOW to change that. By devising a plan with Wesley (who's in love with Reagan), she expects everything to fall into place and everyone to have their happily ever after. Selfish, I know...and these things never work out like you expect! Anyways...the more time she spends executing this master plan, the more she's running to Wesley. The more time she's spending with Wesley, the more she's noticing little things about him that he's never noticed before. Things that are less platonic and more...*gasp* romantic?  No way. Shake those thoughts off and refocus!! I love Cassie's novels and this one was no disappointment. The characters are hilarious and loveable and her  style of writing is just so easy to get into. I gave this one a go on my long-haul flight and finished it in one go. I loved the ending. You sort of expect a certain "switch" but the ending gives "Switched" a big *kabam*!

You can purchase the Kindle and Nook versions of Switched on Amazon and B&N!

Please excuse my absence but...

So I've been a complete write-off as of lately, I do apologize. Between getting unexpectedly crazy at work and then dealing with DD getting sick (who, in turn, got both DH and I sick) and getting ready to pack up for two months, I've really been neglecting this blog and my reading piles!!

Anyways...I'm now on the otherside of the world, blogging today from my balcony in paradise! The weather is fabulous, so, to me , much too hot lol. I was lucky enough to be able to leave DD with my mum and take a mini-vacation with my cousin.

I'm a self-proclaimed world-traveller. I am no stranger to strange lands. I have been well-travelled since I was a young adult and have seen many parts of this world. To this day, though, it never ceases to amaze me how different things are a plane ride away. From food to culture to climate, it's like you step onto a plane on one planet and then step off on another. I truly am blessed to be fortunate enough to experience these different places.