5 stars [quotetastic] The Vixen and the Vet (A Modern Fairytale #1) by Katy Regnery

Whew. The Vixen and the Vet was just...everything. What a read!

The Gist: Savannah needs a career save. All she has to do is find a human interest piece that'll impress a newspaper editor. And that comes in the form of her broody neighbor... a severely disfigured war veteran who's become the town recluse. She gets a bit more than she bargained for when she meets Asher. That's for sure.

5 stars-- Exclusively Yours (Kowalski Family #1) by Shannon Stacey #PickOfTheLitter

So a (long) spell back I won a copy of Exclusively Yours from a giveaway Jaci Burton was holding and ohmygod I absolutely loved it! Seriously LOVED it! Exclusively Yours was like slipping into my favorite pair of pjs--cozy and comforting. I easily fell into Stacey's writing and enjoyed every second of watching Keri and Joe get to know each other while surrounded by his wacky crazy family--who managed to be endearing as hell and seriously loved to give each other grief over pretty much everything.

5 stars!! Fly With Me (Wild Aces #1) by Chanel Cleeton

Wow. Just...wow. Yall, Cleeton left me smiling, with tears in my eyes, and desperately needing book two of the Wild Aces series. Fly With Me blew me away. What a stunningly wonderful mix of humor, love, lust, heartbreak, and dreamy romance. *serious reader-girl sigh*

The quick of it is that sometimes the Fates they do conspire a girl meets her the man of her dreams while wearing a bobbing pink penis headband and rocking out to music at a Vegas night club. Yeah. Not the most glamorous of moments but one that sparked off an instant connection and a whirlwind romance between Noah and Jordan. Two very different people with a connection that refused to be ignored despite everything standing in their way...including an entire country.

Quote-tastic/Review--Off the Clock by Roni Loren

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed ya for one reason or another.

You can add a review or post just a quote. You can post other days of the week too. Totally flexible.

Everyone's welcome to join in. Authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier!

Just grab the button and toss up your post :) No blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section or in a FB post and link it up.

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Hot dayum! This book was so damn good, yall. And my first Pick of the Litter for 2016. Yup. A 5 star read. Crazy rare around here but Loren kicked off her newest series. I couldn't resist more than one quote this week. Some funny, some scorching hot, some downright dirrrty and a little sweet too. Seriously this book had it all. Yum!

This first one just made me snort.

**Pick of the Litter** Tiffany Girl by Deeanne Gist

As preparations for the 1893 World’s Fair set Chicago and the nation on fire, Louis Tiffany—heir to the exclusive Fifth Avenue jewelry empire—seizes the opportunity to unveil his state-of-the-art, stained glass, mosaic chapel, the likes of which the world has never seen.

But when Louis’s dream is threatened by a glassworkers’ strike months before the Fair opens, he turns to an unforeseen source for help: the female students at the New York Art Institute. Eager for adventure, the young women pick up their skirts, move to boarding houses, take up steel cutters, and assume new identities as the “Tiffany Girls.”

Tiffany Girls is the heartwarming story of the impetuous Flossie Jayne, a beautiful, budding artist who is handpicked by Louis to help complete the Tiffany chapel. Though excited to live in a boarding house when most women stayed home, she quickly finds the world is less welcoming than anticipated. From a Casanova male, to an unconventional married couple, and a condescending singing master, she takes on a colorful cast of characters to transform the boarding house into a home while racing to complete the Tiffany chapel and make a name for herself in the art world.

As challenges mount, her ambitions become threatened from an unexpected quarter: her own heart. Who will claim victory? Her dreams or the captivating boarder next door?

Type: Historical Fiction
Heat: N/A
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars **Pick of the Litter**

Amazon | All Romance | Book Depository | BAM | Goodreads

Breathtakingly beautiful. It's not often that a novel leaves me stunned. Where I find myself closing the book and looking around the room with tears in my eyes wondering what in the world I'm going to do with myself next because I've just read something so overwhelmingly moving I'm simply stunned trying to process all of the emotions it's ripped out of me. Tiffany Girl..joined the ranks of the elite few that left me completely spent and raised the bar to near impossible heights for any future reads. Even weeks later as I'm sitting here editing this post one last time it has me fighting back tears just thinking about Flossie and everything she went through.

Tasty Delights--Cheesy Baked Pasta w/ Eggplant + review (The Skinnytaste)

Gina Homolka is America’s most trusted home cook when it comes to easy, flavorful recipes that are miraculously low-calorie and made from all-natural, easy-to-find ingredients. Her blog, Skinnytaste is the number one go-to site for slimmed down recipes that you’d swear are anything but. It only takes one look to see why people go crazy for Gina’s food: cheesy, creamy Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli with only 420 calories per serving, breakfast dishes like Make-Ahead Western Omelet "Muffins" that truly fill you up until lunchtime, and sweets such as Double Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies that are low in sugar and butter-free but still totally indulgent.

The Skinnytaste Cookbook features 150 amazing recipes: 125 all-new dishes and 25 must-have favorites. As a busy mother of two, Gina started Skinnytaste when she wanted to lose a few pounds herself. She turned to Weight Watchers for help and liked the program but struggled to find enough tempting recipes to help her stay on track. Instead, she started “skinny-fying” her favorite meals so that she could eat happily while losing weight.

With 100 stunning photographs and detailed nutritional information for every recipe, The Skinnytaste Cookbook is an incredible resource of fulfilling, joy-inducing meals that every home cook will love.

Type: Cookbook
Difficulty: easy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Value: Excellent. Well worth the price.

Amazon | Goodreads

If you're going to buy a cookbook...make it this one! The SkinnyTaste is one of the best cookbooks I've seen and it's focus is on healthier lower-cal meals/dishes that don't skimp on the taste. I really loved everything about this one. From the authors voice--she's matter of fact but I liked her attitude towards eating healthier and her approach to tasty meals--to the recipes themselves and the photography. There's a nice opening with the author's experiences and why this is important to her which was nice plus one thing that stuck out...even if you mess up on a recipe sometimes the best dishes are discovered that way. Recipes were easy to understand and simple enough for most to jump right in and try and ingredients easy to find at the local grocery. 

Promise Me This (Between Breaths #4) by Christina Lee *Pick of the Litter*

Nate has developed quite a playboy reputation around campus. It's not that he doesn't respect or trust women; he doesn't trust himself. The men in Nate’s family are prone to abusive behavior—a dirty secret that Nate’s been running from his entire life—so Nate doesn't do relationships. But he can’t help himself around one girl…

Jessie is strong, independent, and works at a tattoo parlor. Nate can’t resist getting close to her, even if it’s strictly a friendship. But it doesn't take long for Nate to admit that what he wants with Jessie is more than just friendly.

With Jessie, he can be himself and explore what he’s always felt was a terrifying darkness inside him. Even when Nate begins to crave her in a way that both shocks and horrifies him, Jessie still wants to know every part of him. Testing their boundaries together will take a trust that could render them inseparable… or tear them apart.

Type: New Adult
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5-- Pick of the Litter

Amazon | All Romance | Goodreads

So this...was pretty much me the entire time I was reading Promise Me This.

You know how sometimes you read a book and it just takes a hit at your heart and when you turn that last page you're left sitting there just...kind of holding your breath because, whew, yeah....it was that powerful? And you really don't know what to do with yourself next? That was Promise Me This for me. And I don't even know if I can explain why exactly. It just...was.

Virgin River (Virgin River #1) by Robyn Carr

Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River, population six hundred. Make a difference against the backdrop of towering California redwoods and crystal-clear rivers. Rent-free cabin included.

When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees this ad she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to re-energize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving: the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she's made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning. But a tiny baby, abandoned on a front porch, changes her plans...and a former marine cements them into place. Melinda Monroe may have come to Virgin River looking for escape, but instead she finds her home.

Type: Contemporary Romance
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5 *Pick of the Litter*

Amazon | All Romance | Book Depository | BAM | Goodreads

So, I read Virgin River...ages ago and the review kinda got lost in my drafts folder but I wanted to post it now because this was just an amazing read. Carr blew me away with her writing and the story of Mel and Jack as she comes to the small town of Virgin River for a fresh start and finds so much more than she expected from both the town and a hunky former Marine that catches her eye.

A Lady Never Surrenders (Hellions of Halstead Hall #5) by Sabrina Jeffries

When the youngest Sharpe sister hatches a plan to gain marriage offers, the straight-laced Bow Street Runner Jackson Pinter knows he'll do whatever it takes to ruin her scheme...

Lady Celia Sharpe hopes that if she can garner offers of marriage from several eligible gentlemen and show her grandmother she is capable of gaining a husband, she can convince Gran to rescind the marriage ultimatum for her. And if that plan doesn’t work, at least she’ll have a husband lined up. But Bow Street Runner Jackson Pinter seems determined to ruin her plans by disapproving of every suitor she asks him to investigate. It’s only when she and Jackson work together to solve her parents’ murders, plunging them both into danger, that she realizes why--because the only man he wants her to marry is himself!

Type: Historical Romance
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5

Amazon | All Romance | Goodreads

This. was. the. best. freaking. book! I love the Hellions of Halstead Hall series but A Lady Never Surrenders was by far my favorite. I'd been looking forward for Jackson Pinter's book and damn it was good. Fantastic dynamic between the hero and heroine, full of action and danger, twists and turns, snark, humor and a meddling family. And a romance that'll make a girl envious. Seriously, I loved every single effing page as the last of the Sharpe siblings surrenders to their grandmum's ultimatum of finding love and marrying.

If I Were You (Inside Out #1) by Lisa Renee Jones

Okay. So this review is totally out of order. I kinda missed reviewing it somehow even though I'd read it ages ago. The rest of the series has been reviewed on the blog and, well, yall are getting this one now too :)

When Sara McMillan finds a stack of journals in a storage unit, she’s shocked and enthralled by the erotic life the writer led. Unable to stop reading, she vicariously lives out dark fantasies through Rebecca, the writer—until the terrifying final entry. Certain something sinister has happened, Sara sets out to discover the facts, immersing herself in Rebecca’s life.

Soon she’s working at the art gallery Rebecca worked at and meeting Rebecca’s friends. Finding herself drawn to two dangerously sexy men, the manager of the gallery and a famed artist, Sara realizes she’s going down the same path Rebecca took. But with the promise of her dark needs being met by a man with confident good looks and a desire for control, she’s not sure anything else matters. Just the burn for more.

Type: Erotica
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5

Amazon | All Romance | Book Depository | Goodreads 

It took me a really long time to convince myself to read If I Were You after seeing the dreaded "Fifty Shades" comparison--which is always an instant mood killer for me--but I'm damn glad I finally dove into it because Jones is an incredibly talented writer and put together an amazing and intriguing story that drew me in completely and left me panting for the next installment. (yes, this is a trilogy and Jones is well known for her killer cliffhangers so be warned) And, seriously, absolutely nothing like Fifty Shades. Not sure how they came up with that other than it's a trilogy and he's rich and a little kinky.

5 stars!! Playing Doctor by Jan Meredith *Pick of the Litter*

When a fellow RN jokingly predicts that Beth Roberts will meet a tall, ripped and totally lick-o-licious stranger who will fulfill her deepest desires, it’s supposed to be from across a crowded room, not giving CPR to a wedding guest. Given her tragic love life, Beth has no desire to become involved again, but who could have predicted the ponytailed doctor with the mischievous smile would break through her defenses?

Dr. Gabriel North blamed himself for his wife’s death. Now, after two years of battling guilt and meaningless hookups, he’s ready to move on. When he sees the sexy brunette at his friend’s wedding, his attraction is swift and strong, and he wastes no time in pressing his advantage. One night with the woman who makes him feel alive again isn’t enough, but gaining her trust as a man was going to take more than medical school had prepared him for.

Type: Contemporary Romance, novella
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5 *PICK OF THE LITTER*

Amazon All Romance Goodreads

Okay, so I can't get the goofy grin off my face after finishing Playing Doctor. Because, damn, *this* is how you write a novella. I loved everything about it. The characters, the set up, the scorching hot sex scenes ::shivers::, the growth both Beth and Gabe experienced. All of it. Meredith knocked it out of the park and has an instant fan.

5 stars! Christmas in Lucky Harbor by Jill Shalvis

Love, love, love Lucky Harbor. It's one of my all time favorite small towns. Christmas in Lucky Harbor is a collection of stories from the series. Books 1 and 2 and then two short stories. I'd read all but one of the short stories previously and Shalvis wow'd me again with Kissing Santa Claus. If you haven't picked up this series it's a must read if you enjoy contemporary small town romances. Steamy, sweet, a little spice and just hilarious as all kinds of delicious alpha males fall for quirky, strong and spirited women...

Love awaits in Lucky Harbor...

Type: Contemporary Romance, Small Town
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5


Amazon All Romance BAM Goodreads

Okay so a couple wee tiny re-cap reviews on the ones I've read/reviewed already and a little on the newest short included in the book :) Check em out and let me know what you think...

Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan

Warning: This is not a typical love story. This is an all-consuming, soul-crushing, tear-your-heart-into-pieces story. It’s intense, gritty and raw, dark and disturbing, and it doesn’t happen overnight. This is an epic love story that knows no boundaries and has no time limits. It grows and develops—with hurt, sacrifice, and heartache—over the span of a lifetime. 

Eva Fox is the princess of the Silver Demons Motorcycle Club. Growing up with bikers in the club lifestyle is all that she knows. When she’s a young girl, Eva meets the reason for her existence. Deuce West is the sexy, biker bad-ass of the Hell’s Horsemen Motorcycle Club. Like Eva, he was born and raised in the club—but that’s where the similarities end. Their first meeting is innocent, but as Eva matures into a woman, their chance reunions evolve into a fit of lust and love. Fate continues to bring them together time and time again, but their twisted journey is filled with pain, betrayal, and bloodshed that could tear them apart. Eva sees in Deuce what he cannot see in himself—a man worthy of love—and Eva spends her lifetime proving to him that her undeniable love is the one thing he can’t live without. 

This is Eva and Deuce’s story. 

It wasn’t easy. 
Nothing worth doing ever is.
And love is worth everything.

Type: Dark Romance? 
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5

Fuck me. Yall this book was unlike anything I've ever read before. These are some majorly fucked up people doing some majorly fucked up things and hell if I know what it says about me but I fucking loved it.

Take the warning with this one seriously. This is not a romance for everyone. It's dark and gritty and incredibly twisted. It's not a pretty thing to watch, not even close. You'll hate the characters but at the same time love them in all their incredibly messed up glory. This is one that will push your buttons, make you uncomfortable and if you're like me completely rock your reading world.

** there will be some spoilers for things that I thought merited a warning or two-- just a heads up**

Vanilla on Top by CJ Ellisson + giveaway (open INT)

Discover your inner bad girl, and set her free…

Heather Pierce is done being a wallflower, both personally and professionally. Desperate to live a different life for one night, she attends a speed dating event. Maybe here, anonymous unless she chooses otherwise, she can become someone new. When a man way out of her league sits across from her, Heather gathers her courage and takes charge of what she wants, secretly fearing he won’t desire the real person she’s desperate to hide.

Top acquisitions officer and international playboy Tony Carmine is about to close the biggest deal of his career. But then he meets Heather at a speed dating event…and discovers losing control may be exactly what he needs. Her blossoming sensuality occupies his every thought, consuming him with the need to possess the most intriguing lover he’s ever encountered—until he walks into the boardroom and sees Heather on the other side of the negotiating table.

Type: Erotica/Romance
Heat: 4 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5

Woot! We've got our first 5 star review of 2013 and our first ever "Pick of the Litter"!! 

When I pick up an erotic romance, Vanilla on Top, is exactly the type of book that I look for. It was the perfect combo of melt you on the spot chemistry between characters that feel real and honest, scorching hot sex scenes that are a little daring at times and an incredible romance to back it all up.

Lothaire (Immortals After Dark #12) by Kresley Cole

ALL FEAR THE ENEMY OF OLD

Driven by his insatiable need for revenge, Lothaire, the Lore’s most ruthless vampire, plots to seize the Horde’s crown. But bloodlust and torture have left him on the brink of madness—until he finds Elizabeth Peirce, the key to his victory. He captures the unique young mortal, intending to offer up her very soul in exchange for power, yet Elizabeth soothes his tormented mind and awakens within him emotions Lothaire believed he could no longer experience.

A DEADLY FORCE DWELLS WITHIN HER

Growing up in desperate poverty, Ellie Peirce yearned for a better life, never imagining she’d be convicted of murder—or that an evil immortal would abduct her from death row. But Lothaire is no savior, as he himself plans to sacrifice Ellie in one month’s time. And yet the vampire seems to ache for her touch, showering her with wealth and sexual pleasure. In a bid to save her soul, Ellie surrenders her body to the wicked vampire, while vowing to protect her heart.

CENTURIES OF COLD INDIFFERENCE SHATTEREDElizabeth tempts Lothaire beyond reason, as only his fated mate could. As the month draws to a close, he must choose between a millennia-old blood vendetta and his irresistible prisoner. Will Lothaire succumb to the miseries of his past . . . or risk everything for a future with her?

Type: Paranormal Romance, Vampires
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5