herding cats & burning soup

Thursday, January 12, 2012

4 stars-- Kiss of Fire (Dragonfire #1) by Deborah Cooke

For millennia, the shape-shifting dragon warriors known as the Pyr have commanded the four elements and guarded the earth's treasures. But now the final reckoning between the Pyr, who count humans among the earth's treasures, and the Slayers, who would eradicate both humans and the Pyr who protect them, is about to begin...

When Sara Keegan decides to settle down and run her quirky aunt's New Age bookstore, she's not looking for adventure. She doesn't believe in fate or the magic of the tarot-but when she's saved from a vicious attack by a man who has the ability to turn into a fire-breathing dragon, she questions whether she's losing her mind-or about to lose her heart...

Quinn Tyrrell has long been distrustful of his fellow Pyr and a self-reliant loner. So when he feels the firestorm that signals his destined mate, he's determined to protect and possess Sara, regardless of the cost to himself. Then Sara's true destiny is revealed-and Quinn realizes he must risk everything- even Sara's love-to fulfill their entwined fates...

Type: Paranormal Romance, Shifters (Dragons)
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

2 stars--Santa Baby by Alesia Holliday

Sometimes you just have to say "Deck the freaking halls." At least, that's how Leah feels about Christmas. She has a holiday tradition: she gets dumped at Christmas. Always and only at Christmas. With only 12 days till the fateful day, she's glad she's alone. The only thing she has to worry about is a horrible boss. And a dead-end career. And clients who drive her insane.

But sexy photojournalist Luke has other ideas; he wants to make Leah's Christmas dreams come true. And he only has twelve days to begin a romance that will endure until the last bell has been jingled.

Love, laughter, and a little touch of revenge--that's all a girl really needs in her Christmas stocking.Alesia Holliday is the funnier (and much cuter!) alter-ego of New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Day. Alesia writes light & funny; Alyssa writes dark & twisty. Both love crazy plots, intense suspense, and characters you'd love to invite over for dinner.

Type: Chick-Lit
Rating: 2 out of 5

A woman with a talent for numbers, Alexandra Scott wanted to escape the rat race and go someplace where the men outnumber the women. Trading in her Wall Street job and fancy condo for a rundown cabin in the woods. She's now Alaskan Wilderness Woman. It isn't long before she finds exactly what she's looking for#58; one sexy pilot named Michael Casey. But this confirmed bachelor has no intentions of getting caught in any woman's crosshairs; especially a hunter as appealing as Alex. It'll take skill, determination, and a little romantic persuasion for this big-game hunter to bag her prey.

Type: Romance
Heat: 2 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

Manhunt by Janet Evanovich had me smiling the whole time I was reading. I just love her! Her characters are quirky and strong willed. Alexandra Scott drops her current life as a successful executive in New Jersey on a whim and trades her home for a "cabin" and hardware store in Alaska sight unseen, trudging cross country with a senior Rottweiler with an eating fetish that gets him in a bit of trouble. Namely flying overboard after a donut. "Michael Casey couldn't believe his eyes. That crazy broad just deep-sixed her dog!" Not only did he end up with a broken nose trying to save said dog but then got stuck with Alex, who was on the hunt for a husband, living on his mountain in a cabin that was far from livable.

Some Girls Bite Read Along- Week 2!

Hosted by Tina at Te ina's Book Revi ws, Rummanah at Books in the Spotlight, Missie at The Unread Reader and Jenny at Supernatural Snark.

Questions for Chapters 5-8

Follow Friday! It's my first :)

Q. Go Count the number of unread books sitting on your shelf. How many?

A: It's my first Follow Friday and I'm going to truly embarrass myself here. Goodreads says I have....417!

OMG. Yeah, I may have a problem here, people.

Soul Screamers Reading Challenge!

I'm joining my first reading challenge! I totally feel like a kid on their first day of school. A little nervous, a bit freaked out about trying something new but kinda excited too. So, I'm jumping in and hopefully I do it all right but if not I'm still going to have fun trying :) I love Rachel Vincent's Shifter series and am just about to read the last book, Alpha, so what a perfect time to start this challenge and pick up her other series! Soul Screamers! I've been eyeing them for a while. They have such pretty covers!

It's being hosted by Rachel at Fiktshun and sounds like an absolute blast! Three are some amazing prizes including a preorder of Before I Wake and even signed copies of the different books! Plus a surprise later on in the challenge and really who doesn't love a good surprise?!? The challenge is open to everyone and you can sign up HERE and get the extra details.

Tasty Delights: Shepherds Pie

One dish down on my goal of trying 52 new recipes in 2012! I made my first real Shepherd's pie and well it didn't turn out to be a pretty dish but it was really tasty. I think I needed a thicker layer of potatoes on top or possibly not putting it on the stove to cool without realizing I hadn't turned off that burner and it was still on simmer. That's when the potatoes lost the battle to keep everything contained. It was a nice meal on a really cold night in NC with the fire going. I made mine mostly vegetarian friendly using veggie broth and fake meat crumbles. Left out the mushrooms too because I find them creepy.

Recipe after the jump

Prey (Shifters #4) by Rachel Vincent

Sometimes playing cat and mouse is no game...Play? "Right." My Pride is under fire from all sides, my father's authority is in question and my lover is in exile. Which means I haven't laid eyes on Marc's gorgeous face in months. And with a new mother "and" an I-know-everything teenager under my protection, I don't exactly have time to fantasize about ever seeing him again.

Then our long-awaited reunion is ruined by a vicious ambush by strays. Now our group is under attack, Marc is missing and I will need every bit of skill and smarts to keep my family from being torn apart. Forever.

Type: Urban Fantasy, Shifters (felines)
Heat: 2.5 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

4 stars-- Midnight Alley & Feast of Fools (Morganville Vampires #3, #4) by Rachel Caine

Type: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Vampires
Heat: 2 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

I'm really enjoying this series more than I expected to. I don't read a lot of YA but I've been sucked in by Rachel Caine and her amazing talent for cliffhangers. One of my favorite things about Caine is how the stories all blend together from book to book. There's no dramatically new theme/event but a continuation from the last book. You can really get drawn into their daily life and I love that. My only real issue isn't really a big deal but on more than one occasion I wanted to grab a character, give them a shake and yell "just stay in the dag house for once!!" Because really at some point you'd think they'd get a clue that unless it's a real necessity leaving the house only ends up in life threatening drama. Skip class already!

New Year....New Blog

So herding cats & burning soup. I'm going to put pretty much everything here. House projects and their resulting eye twitching disasters, herding cats (yeah I really do herd cats. around 40 on a daily basis), my cooking adventures and probably some on what I'm reading. Everything that makes me happy. First time I'm going to really try blogging so we shall see....hopefully all the cats will be herded and no soup will burn (yep it's actually happened. i've got talent). Oh and there will probably be a dressed up cat or two along the way.

My goals for this year...