What are you reading | January 2014?

I finished The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book given the characters were introduced in earlier books and weren't my favorites but this was amazing. There was a ton of depth to the hero and heroines relationship and they also developed and helped each other with their family relationships. Just an amazing book.

#1, reesa, glad to hear you liked this, I have it on my list!

I just finished Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal by Grace Burrowes and Every Secret Thing which I loved by Susanna Kearsley, writing as Emma Cole, really good suspenseful mystery. Now I'm reading Midsummer Night by Deanna Raybourn and The Promise of Jenny Jones by Maggie Osborne.

I finished The Promise of Jenny Jones by Maggie Osborne which I loved and couldn't put down. Now I'm reading Mackenzie's Mission by Linda Howard. I also finished Midsummer Night by Deanna Raybourn a lady Julia Gray novella and now beginning Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto.

I gave up on Before Ever After, just really couldn't get into it. Hard for me to keep track of the events which are jumbled. Now I'm reading Ember by Kristen Callihan. I also finished The Outlaw and the Lady by Lorraine Heath, not one of her best on audio. I'm now listening to Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson, which I'm loving so far.

I just discovered Sarah MacLean's books and am addicted! So steamy that I find myself staying up until 1 AM some nights!

I finished Kresley Cole's The Professional, Part 1 of a new ebook only trilogy she's writing. Short and very steamy. Now I'm reading The Professional, Part 2, not sure how I feel about this series yet. I also finished Nothing But Trouble on audio which I loved and am now listening to Mackenzie's Pleasure by Linda Howard which picks up after Mackenzie's Mission which I just finished. Now I'm also beginning Mystical Warrior by Janet Chapman.

Finished The Professional, Part 2, just wasn't into it, I'm not continuing with the series. I just can't get into this Fifty Shades of Gray trend. I also finished Far In the Wilds a novella by Deanna Raybourn. Now I'm beginning It Happened One Midnight by Julie Anne Long.

I just finished The Arrangement by Mary Balogh. I loved it.

I finished Mackenzie's Pleasure by Linda Howard on audio and really loved it.

I finished Secrets of a Runaway Bride, the second book in Valerie Bowman's series. Not as good as the first but enjoyable.

I read Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson straight through today. I was really good!

I just finished The Rosie Project. I recommend it highly. The story is sweet, touching, intelligent, funny and thoroughly enjoyable. It is definitely not a standard romance novel. If "steamy" is a requirement for you, this is not the right book. But if you like unusual but realistic characters whose love grows slowly but surely - you will like this book as much as I did.

I've just finished Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts. I actually haven't read a lot of Roberts at all (I can only think of one or two others), but I find myself enjoying them every time I do.

Dance Upon the Air is the first in her Island Sisters trilogy about the descendants of three witches from the Salem Witch Trials and their current descendants representing Earth, Air and Fire. I found myself really enjoying this story of Nell - a formerly abused woman who comes to the Three Sisters Island and finds a way to restart her life with a fantastic catering business and begins to find her way around her magic with the help of her boss and friend.

It doesn't hurt that she catches the eye of the handsome sheriff in town, either...

I finished two books today one in paperback the other on kindle: Mystical Warrior by Janet Chapman, real slow going, could barely get through it and It Happened One Midnight by Julie Anne Long, not the best in her Pennyroyal series. Now I'm beginning In the Arms of the Enemy by Lisbeth Eng and Ain't She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

13> I've never read Nora Roberts, but Dance Upon Air sounds interesting. I might have to check it out.

BookLizard, let me know what you think if you try it! I prefer a bit of a "softer" paranormal like this to the more common urban fantasy/paranormals.

I'm currently reading Lost for Words by Lorelei Mathias about an editorial assistant (vaguely Bridget Jones-esque, but without the diary) who is getting her hopes up over a colleague/scoundrel and may have just found something worth reading on her imprint's slush pile!

Just finished Flirting with Fortune by Erin Knightley. I'm really enjoying this series. Even this book which had a storyline which has been done to death was good because of the strong characters and writing.

I just finished Paris in Love by Eloisa James. It's not a romance novel but a travel memoir about a year she and her family spent in Paris. I have never read any of her novels but I liked this book so much that I am about to embark upon reading her novels. Any suggestions?

I finished In the Arms of the Enemy by Lisbeth Eng. Now I'm beginning the The Duke's Tattoo by Miranda Davis

I finished Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn. I loved the first 3/4 of the book but then it gets crazy. Like the author realized she had x number more pages to go. It was a disappointing ending...

mamalaz> Eloisa James is hit or miss for me. I love some of her books but some are disappointing for me. She has written a lot of books with married couples, not my favorite romance plot line, but has done it well. My favorite book by her is Much ado about you, the first in the Essex sisters series. She does a lot of series. However, I think my favorite series overall is her Happily Ever After which is her take on fairy tales. I really liked When Beauty Tamed the Beast. Just a few suggestions.

#18 and #21 - I agree, definitely hit or miss, in fact more miss for me than hit. I've liked very few books of hers, except the last few books in her Desperate Duchess series I liked, particularly This Duchess of Mine and I too liked When Beauty Tamed the Beast in the happily ever after series, but couldn't stomach the others in that series, the first of which I nearly put down.

I finished The Duke's Tattoo by Miranda Davis which I really loved! Now I'm reading Lady Louisa's Christmas Knight by Grace Burrowes.

I finished Ain't She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, wasn't really crazy about it. Now I'm beginning All Through the Night by Connie Brockway.

Reesa00 and ktlyed, thanks for the feedback. I read Duchess in Love and did not like it very much. I especially did not like the premise of all these couples seemingly committing adultery under each other's noses.

I really liked the her travel memoir so was pretty disappointed in the novel. Because I liked her non- fiction so well, I will try a couple more novels based on your recommendations.

I finished Douglas: Lord of Heartache. It was a good book with a twist on some of the typical romance characters so I enjoyed it. Some of the characters in the last two books were in the novel and I was getting a little confused keeping everyone straight at first.

I just started Lord of the Nile by Constance O'Banyon. I'm not sure how this one will pan out - I love having an Egyptian setting, but I have the sneaking suspicion that our "breathtakingly beautiful but she has no idea with possible royal connections and the ability to tame wild beasts" heroine is going to get on my nerves...

Has anyone else read it?

I finished Lady Louisa's Christmas Knight by Grace Burrowes and am now reading the new Tessa Dare release, Romancing the Duke.

I just finished Daisy's Back in Town by Rachel Gibson and am about to start Prince of Ravenscar by Catherine Coulter.

River of Dreams by Lynn Kurland
Newest installment in her '9 Kingdoms' series

I've just started Hot Number by Carly Phillips and am enjoying the tomboy discovering her feminine side amid a bunch of hunky baseball players...