What Are You Reading Week of June 18

We didn't get to do this last Monday because the site was down, so thought I'd jump in here & start a new one for this week.

I finished Virtually His by Gennita Low; it took a little getting into it, but I enjoyed it & am looking forward to the next in the series Virtually Hers. I started Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones last night; didn't get much time to read over the weekend with family gatherings, etc.

I started Destinations South by Elizabeth Bevarly this morning.

Julia

I'm reading Angel's Fall by Nora Roberts. I really like it too. It seems that the difference between her type of romance book and "contemporary" romances is that hers are more suspenseful - not just the boy meets girl, there is some reason they can't be together and then they overcome it type of thing. I like the simple ones too, but this has been a nice change.

Alana

We're moved, the family's gone home, and I'm finally reading again! Ok, that's not entirely true. I read a couple books while they were here, but they were both loosers. They've already been book-mooched; go figure.

Today I read Laurell K. Hamilton's new book, The Harlequin (Anita). Apparently you have to put the Anita part in or else LT has no idea what you're talking about. Oh well. Anyway, the sex scenes were much shorter than her last few books, and the book had more plot, which I appreciated.

Glad you're enjoying it Alana, I prefer her more suspenseful books - really liked Angels Fall and I have her new one on order (High Noon)at the library... soon, hopefully, soon! Have you read Montana Sky, Blue Smoke and Northern Lights - really liked those as well.

I'm currently taking a break from her In Death series for a lighthearted chicklit read by Katie Fforde (Going Dutch) then it will be back to the world of Eve and Rourke. :o)

Angels Fall was the first time I'd seen the term "gaslight" meaning convince someone she's going mad. Since then I've run across it several more times, and not just by Roberts.

I think I'd better get the film from the library. ;)

I just finished the urban fantasy Storm Front by Jim Butcher last night and am now on to our group read, Where Dreams Begin by Lisa Kleypas.

I finished Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones last night & dare I say it.... I think I enjoyed it more than Linda Howard's Raintree: Inferno.

I started Virgin River by Robyn Carr this morning; anyone else read her? This is the first book I've read by her.

Hey, book. I recently finished Virgin River and really liked it. I'm looking for the rest of that series and the other series.

CC

I started Julia London's new book, The Perils of Pursuing a Prince and can't get into it so I am rereading Stephanie Laurens Bastion Club series.

Hi, I haven't posted to this illustrious gathering as I have been madly entering my books to my catalog. I'm almost finished now, just a few more hundreds of books to go. While the site was down. I read Casey Claybourne A thing of beauty which was very entertaining and quite funny. So, if you like a quick, breezy regency read, I can recommend it.
I just started Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood. It is the first book in the Phryne Fisher mystery series set in 1920's Melbourne, Australia. Kerry Greenwood is an Australian writer and the books are just published here by Poisoned Pen in the US. It's a very entertaining series. I normally read historical romance but occasionally I need a break.
Britta

In the last week I read Years and Hummingbird by LaVyrle Spencer. They were both really good and my first by Spencer.

Now I am reading The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

>>10 pmpayne: I also looked at The Perils of Pursuing a Prince at the bookstore but decided against it and got The Hazards of Hunting a Duke and Not Quite a Lady instead. Hazards was good but the heroine was a little calculating for my tastes. I suppose that is why it is called the Desperate Debutantes series.

gracer, you write "I suppose that is why it is called the Desperate Debutantes series."

I suspect it has more to do with the name recognition accorded to ABC's Desperate Housewives.

Never understimate the willingness of media companies to steal from one another.

>5 MystikNat: - I just added all of those to my wishlist and I ordered Birthright from paperback swap.

I am now hooked on her books! I loved the suspense and will have a blast working on adding to my collection.

I just finished Angel's Fall - I loved it sooooo much! Great characters, great plot!

Next on my list, either Full Blast or Plum Lovin' - I haven't decided yet. And I am trying to avoid B&N online because I want to order Lean Mean 13 SO bad - patience!

I'm reading through Cindy Gerard's The Bodyguards series, though I started with the second book To The Limit. I really enjoyed it but it wasn't the best romantic suspense novel I've ever read. This week I'm going back to read the first of the series, To The Edge.

I also finished The Secret Swan by Shana Abe. It was a bit slow-paced at times but Shana Abe can write an exquisitely romantic story. Another medieval romance that I thoroughly enjoyed was Jill Barnett's Wicked - in fact, I loved it. Strong characters, great story, witty dialogues (I love when books can make me literally laugh out loud!), and very romantic.

Others I'm reading this week:
An Honorable Thief, Anne Gracie
Parlor Games, which features Jess Michaels, Leda Swann, and Julia Templeton - I've already started this book and so far, in the words of Rachel Ray, Yum-O!

*edited to fix Touchstones*

Hey, Azn. I loved Parlor Games. I thought Michaels and Swann's stories were the best... very unusual heroine in Michaels' story. Let me know what you think when you finish, okay?

CC

Tonight I'm planning to start What Price Love by Laurens, the story of Dillon Caxton, protege of Demon.

Enjoy your Nora Roberts fest amsparky!! The Reef was also a favourite and had great suspense. I was a bit disappointed with her recent Circle Trilogy as it wasn't a patch on the Three Sisters trilogy (my first foray and I disappeared for an entire weekend reading it!) but it was still a good read.

OOoh, Azn, Please let me know how An Honourable Thief is. I've been trying to get hold of Anne Gracie's backlist, but it's really hard to find them a lot of the time.

>15 amsparky: I looked at the Amazon listing for Angel's Fall and it looked so good I raced right over to BookMooch and mooched it :-)

Almost done with Where Dreams Begin and have really enjoyed it.

Hi, Anne Gracie's An Honorable Thief, the gallant waif, and Tallie's Knight were all wonderful. The newer series that was recently issued was not at the same level, IMHO.

Another regency book that was perfect to me was Jacquie d'Alessando's Red roses mean love.

Next up for me is Sylvia Day's new book, Passion For The Game.

CC

Well, I gave Vamps and the City by Kerrelyn Sparks a try, and it's just not my thing, so I had to put it down.

Moving on to the next book in the TBR mountain range, When Night Falls by Jenna Mills.

I just finished Gayle Callen's newest "Sisters of Willow Pond" series, The Viscount In Her Bedroom, and it was absolutely wonderful! I have really been getting some good ones the past few days, after a bunch of disappointments.

The story is about a blind hero, a former society favorite, who has lived in seclusion since a riding accident took his sight, who uses self-deprecating humor to hide his pain; and a heroine who feels she has to take care of everyone because she feels guilty that she missed the signs of her father's depression and didn't prevent him from killing himself.

I highly recommend it.

CC

My romance reading has been on hiatus for a week or so, but I'm planning on starting The Windflower by Laura London tonight. Lots of folks here have given it rave reviews, so I'm really excited about it!

Ooooh, I am jealous, Windflower is hard to find!

Also, CC, I have been looking at The Viscount in Her Bedroom every time I go to the bookstore recently and have always gotten something else instead. But now that you recommend it I am going to go out and get it.

I am also reading one of the T-FLAC books, my first one, based on everyone's recommendations here on LT.

gracer - I've been trying to track Windflower down for a while now. Found it at BookMooch. The odd thing is, I had it wishlisted forever with no bites. Then I did a search for "related titles" and a copy popped up! The edition I ended up with is even a hardcover of all things!

Gracer, I would have bought it for the male cover model alone. He must be a new face in the industry. I can't recall seeing him before. Gorgeous!

Which one of the T-FLAC novels are you reading?

CC

I can't believe I read just one book this week and a small one at that. So I finally finished Destinations South today.

I'll start with Where dreams begin right away, otherwise I won't be finished till July.

Julia

Just wanted to remind everyone we are reading a Lisa Kleypas book every month, and this coming week, we will be voting on the next to read. Anyone who would like to join us, please go to the Kleypas author thread and vote! Thanks!

I found another new-to-me author yesterday and I'm glomming today. Her name is Margot Early. I went to the library sale yesterday and got a "bag of books" which was mostly older Harlequins. Included was Mr. Family, written in 1992 I think. It was great! It is set in Hawaii, and I learned about Hawaiian culture and "picture brides". The story is about a widower with a small daughter who places an ad for a wife in the newspaper. The woman who responds has had a lot of tragedy in her life, too. Their journey to love is a wonderful read.

Right now I'm re-reading Pat Conroy's Beach Music for my "real" bookclub. It is one of my favorite books ever, so I am happy to read it again.

CC

Gulp. CC, we residents cringe when we find our state used as a locale in fiction. I hope the book you cite was close to accurate. ;)

I read Talons and something else I can't remember. Dang. Must not have been that good if I can't even remember the title! Talons was pretty good. Kind of hap-hazard in terms of story quality.

Right now I'm reading Dangerous -- Declassified: Dark Kisses by Sylvia Day. Sylvia Day is a great author---I've been tracking down her backlist left and right!