Summer Binge Reads! Laura Kaye Hard Ink Series!

This summer I have been spending time catching up on by TBR (To Be Read) list. Now for those of you who don't know me, this is a monstrous task, and an epically enjoyable one. I have been waiting for the day when I could crack into the books that have been waiting on my shelves (or in the boxes I have yet to unpack from my move from TN to CA last summer).

My biggest problem is that I love to read a series from beginning to end. Especially when I fall in love with a series. For me books are as addicting as those shows we all binge on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

This summer I started with The Hard Ink series by Laura Kaye: a faced paced, edge of your seat, sexy, romantic suspense series. While each book can be read on its own the underlying story of the 5 soldiers who were "other than honorably discharged" who find themselves on one last mission to clear their names runs through the series, and I had to keep reading, not only because I loved the characters, but I also had to find out how it played out.

The first book in the series is titled Hard As It Gets. Nick Rixey and Becca Merritt's story starts everything off when Becca shows up at Hard Ink, the tattoo parlor that Nick and his brother Jeremy own asking for help. Her brother has been presumably kidnapped, but Becca Merritt is his former commander's daughter. Nick and Becca find themselves needing each other in more way than one in the midst of a fight with an organized crime ring.

Laura Kaye creates characters that you care about to the depths of their souls. Putting this book down is as Hard As It Gets!

Book 2: Hard As You Can (Shane & Crystal), Book 2.5: Hard To Hold Onto (Easy & Jenna) Book 3: Hard To Come By (Derek & Emilie), Book 3.5: Hard To Be Good (Jeremy & Charlie), Book 4: Hard To Let Go (Beckett & Katherine), Book 4.5: Hard As Steel (Ike & Jessica) Book 5: Hard Ever After (Nick & Becca) Book 5.5: Hard To Serve (Kyler Vance & Mia) 

Summer Reading! A new Spotlight Series Coming!

It's summertime, and I will be back at it! I have lots to catch you up on! I am excited to get back to sharing with you my favorite romance reads as well as a new Spotlight I will be doing on some amazing authors who have been helping me out.  As you start interacting with my posts here, let me know your favorite genres of romance. I tend to go back and forth between contemporary, paranormal, and erotic romance, but I like a little bit of everything. 

Since coming back to California, I have had the pleasure of joining the Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America and have been volunteering like crazy.  As part of that volunteering I have taken on our Orange Rose Contest for unpublished writers. I will be doing a spotlight series on some of our amazing authors who graciously volunteered their time to judge for our contest.

I hope you will check out these amazing writers!

I am also working on my own writing and look forward to sharing that process with you in the future!

I will be attending RWA Nationals in New York in July and look forward to sharing some giveaways with you when I return!

All the best!

Lisa

What's your favorite romance genre? Who's your favorite romance author?

Jill Shalvis is at it again, creating a story that makes you laugh out loud, ugly cry, sigh in pleasure, and believe in love even after her heroine begins her journey finding out that she is not the only wife of her recently deceased husband. That's right folks, Lanie Green's dead husband was a serial adulterer and Lanie decides that taking a job as at the Capriotti Winery might be the escape she needs, but she finds that her busy body boss Cora and her family is loud and boisterous and intent on bringing her into the fold, even kicking and screaming, and Cora's hot cop son Mark and his twin daughters who Lanie tries to keep behind her walls just keep banging on them. Meanwhile, River, a sad-faced pregnant 21 year old shows up  with her secrets, wanting to be Lanie's best friend and threatens to destroy Lanie's shaky happiness. I wanted to be a Capriotti by the end of the book. I'm a huge Jill Shalvis fan, and she just gets better with each book. Pick this one up, grab a box of tissue and prepare to be up all night reading!

JR Ward's Consumed (Firefighter #1)

JR Ward returns with a different kind of book, about firefighters not vampire fighters, but readers will be "consumed" with this story that includes her typical humor and amazing writing skills. Danny and Anne have a history both personal and professional (be sure to check it out in the prequel that Ward has released leading up to the release of this novel) that drives their conflict, but when it counts Danny makes a hard decision that haunts him and changes Anne's life and career, both find themselves in the middle of personal crises but come together to take down an arsonist before they are consumed by all the intended meanings of the title. It is a gripping story, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

RWA Here I Come...A Mother Daughter Experience...A Long List of Authors....

So, apparently I'm very behind. I had the best intentions of getting to read a lot of romance novels this summer, but I am studying for my last PhD exam before getting to work on my dissertation on the romance novel. Yes, I get to spend the next year and a half digging in to romance novel and writing academically on them. I'm SOOOO excited. My topic is masculinity in the romance novel and I will be focusing mostly on J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series for my dissertation (or at least that's the plan at this point). 

I have still been listening to Bella Andre's Sullivan series and just finished book number 5. Both books 4 & 5 were just as wonderful as the other three that I have raved about in my previous post and book 6 is downloading on my Audible app as I type this. 

My mom and I have been attending the Romance Writer's of America conference together for the past 4 years. It is one of my favorite trips of my travel filled summers and one we both look forward to from the minute it ends. It is great mother daughter bonding time over our favorite thing....romance novels.

My mother proudly dons a Happy Reader badge at the conference introducing herself to her favorite writers and finding new authors to add to her list of favorites each year. This 5th year takes us to Atlanta where we are looking forward to once again conviening with our favorites and finding new favorites. 

My mother is retired and gets to read every book she picks up at the conference while I stare lovingly at the bookshelves that are filled to the brim with the books I so desperately want to read, but have to pick one at a time and devour with the precious few hours I have to read for pleasure. I can't wait to make a dent in the shelves and fill you in on the amazing reads. For now I will leave you with the name I know you will love as much as I do. The ones the ones that come to mind when someone says "Can you recommend a romance writer for me?"

These are in no particular order. I love them all. I'm sure I am missing some. Follow me on twitter @ljass this week for updates from the conference #rwa13

Let me do this by genre if possible
Contemporary:  Jill Shalvis, Kristin Higgans, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Carly Phillips, Toni Blake, Bella Andre, Lori Wilde, Susan Andersen, Robyn Carr, Robin Kaye, Lori Foster, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Nora Roberts, Julie James, Victoria Dahl, Rachel Gibson, LuAnn McLane, Susan Donovan, Deirdre Martin, Kate Angell, Jennifer Crusie, Susan Mallery, Christie Ridgeway, Lisa Kleypas

Erotica: Lacey Alexander

Paranormal: J.R. Ward, Nina Bangs, Molly Harper, Gena Showalter, Rhynnaon Byrd, Jaime Rush

Historical: Sabrina Jeffries, Eloisa James, Lisa Kleypas

YA Paranormal: Gena Showalter, P.C. & Kristen Cast, Tera Lynn Childs

There are so many!!!! I know I am leaving off a lot of favorites, but there are a few to get you started. 

The next blog will be with mom's favorites when she arrives for RWA!!!!

Who are some of your faves? I will be doing several giveaways upon my return from the conference so make your favorites known in the comment sections. Maybe your favorite will be part of the giveways!!!! You never know!

Bella Andre Sullivan #3

I have a slight addiction these days with listening to Bella Andre's Sullivans series.  I have listened to the first three books and so far I am in love.  I mentioned the first two books in a previous post, but I did not include many details.

I would definitely start with the first book of this series The Look of Love.  Here we are introduced to the 8 siblings that make up the Sullivan clan.  This book centers around Chase Sullivan who is a photographer and Chloe Peterson a girl on the run from her abusive ex-husband.  Chase and Chloe's story is both touching and hot, and this story began my addiction to find out about the rest of the siblings.

The 2nd book, From this Moment On pairs Winery owner and eldest Sullivan brother Marcus with pop sensations Nicola (Nico) Harding.  Nicola has recently been hurt by a man and has trust issues. Marcus caught his girlfriend of two years in bed with another man.  Both are looking for a one night stand but get more than they bargain for.  As hot and touching as the first one and again I continued right into the next one.

The 3rd book, Can't Help Falling In Love, brings together Gabe Sullivan and Megan Harris in an unexpected way. He rescues her and her daughter Summer from a fire in their apartment.  Gabe doesn't date fire victims because he's been burned in a past experience, and Megan swears she will never date a man who puts his life at risk on a regular basis after losing her husband to a plane crash.  The heat between these two burns hot. 

Each book gives more information about the other siblings in the family. I am so excited after finishing this last one, I have downloaded number 4 and am ready to get to listening.  Eva Kaminsky is fabulous to listen to.

I'm trying to pace myself because I know I will be sad when the series is over!

Truly a Perfect Fit!

Carly Phillips Perfect Fit lives up to its title. I am in love with the town of Serendipity and all its wonderful cast of characters.  Mike Marsden has come to Serendipity as acting police chief while his father is undergoing cancer treatment and Cara Hartley is a police officer who knows she is a small town girl at heart. Her mother has been abused for years by her father and she spends time working at a shelter for abused women. Both Mike and Cara have their own issues with their pasts including a one night stand from the last time Mike was in town, but together they are a combustible combination that keeps the reader turning the pages. Mike has problems with staying put and Cara has seen enough abuse by a man that she is hesistant to give her heart away.   As usual when it comes to Carly Phillips' books, I couldn't put it down. I even read it during the commercials of the football games this past weekend, and if you know me, you know I take my football very seriously. 


I am so sad that the next book in this trilogy is not coming out until July. I can't wait to see what is in store for Mike's sister Erin!

So many books to choose from to read next....