Lethal - Sandra Brown

When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word.

But Honor soon discovers that even those close to her can't be trusted. Coburn claims that her beloved late husband possessed something extremely valuable that places Honor and her daughter in grave danger. Coburn is there to retrieve it -- at any cost. From FBI offices in Washington, D.C., to a rundown shrimp boat in coastal Louisiana, Coburn and Honor run for their lives from the very people sworn to protect them, and unravel a web of corruption and depravity that threatens not only them, but the fabric of our society.

WHOOP, WHOOP!! I'm back with a book review!! WHOOO-HOOO!!

Any-way, LOL!! I just finished reading Lethal by Sandra Brown. I have to say that Sandra Brown is definitely one of my favorite authors of all time. I love her books because they are always so suspenseful and full of twists and turns that you never would have even expected. Although over the last couple of books while I enjoyed them they just did not feel like Sandra Brown to me. They were good but they weren't freaking awesome!! But I have to say Sandra Brown is finally back to her old self with this book.

I mean if you want a heart pounding action filled and all around sexy read then Sandra Brown is your girl. I am soo happy to say that with this book it felt like greeting an old friend. Trust me if you guys have never read Sandra Brown do yourself a favor and go out and get one of her books one of my absolute favorites of hers (and I've read more than once) is Where There's Smoke. I also like Slow Heat in Heaven, White Hot, The Switch, The Alibi, Mirror Image, Charade, Exclusive, Fat Tuesday, French Silk, White Hot, Texas! Chase, Texas! Sage, Texas! Lucky...and I could go on but I'll stop there!! :)

This book grabbed me from page one and literally  had me breathless the whole way through. I am only giving it 4 stars though because I was just a little let down by the ending but overall it was still a very good and wonderfully suspenseful read.

Honor Gillette has been mourning the death of her husband for the last two years all while raising their only daughter. Honor wants nothing more than to live her life peacefully and raise her daughter.

All that is going fine until Lee Coburn enters her home looking for something that her husband hid that would implicate hundreds of people in a trafficking ring and also bring him closer to The Bookkeeper.

It takes everything Coburn has to convince Honor that he is not wanting to harm Honor or her daughter Emily that is just out for information and he was not the one responsible for the seven deaths at the trucking company he was working for.

Honor slowly begins to realize that Coburn is possibly telling the truth and while he thinks her late husband Eddie is probably part of the huge illegal ring in Tambour, Lousiana she still stands firm in believing that Eddie was a good cop and she sets out to prove not only to Coburn but to herself that Eddie was.

Soon Honor is doubting everything and everyone she has ever known and it all leads to the shocking reveal of The Bookkeeper.

I won't tell you guys anything more than that because I think you definitely need to read this and trust me you will be super shocked about who turns out to be The Bookkeeper...at least I know I was!! 

Also like I said I wish she would have ended it a little differently but still a really good book!!

Happy Reading,
Mindy

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As You Wish - Elyssa Patrick

Love doesn’t always follow the sheet music . . .

This Christmas, Portia Jackson needs a miracle to save her family’s generations-old florist shop. What she gets instead is a car that breaks down during a blizzard. Help arrives unexpectedly when the infamous Aubry Riley pulls over. She only expects him to drive her to the gas station . . . she never expects that kiss. But Portia lives in the real world—she knows this is only a holiday fling for Aubry. Except it doesn’t feel so temporary, and the last thing she wants is a broken heart.

Sometimes you have to sing some different notes . . .

Rock star Aubry Riley has no secrets. Thanks to the media, everyone knows about his troubled past. Six years have gone by since his world crashed, and now he’s ready for a comeback. But first he needs to reconcile with his family—starting with his six-year-old daughter. A month-long vacation at a Vermont lake house affords him the perfect opportunity to take a step in the right direction. He doesn’t need any other emotional entanglements, especially not with the bright-eyed florist he can’t stop thinking about. But no matter how hard he tries to resist her, he can’t. Now all he has to do is to convince Portia that there is nothing temporary when it comes to love.

I have to say that I got this book for free from the author to read.

Okay now that's out of the way I have to say I adored this book. It was a quick, funny and sexy read that I found very hard to put down.

I immediately fell in love with the characters and got a sense of where they were coming from and understood them.

Aubry is that quintessential rock and roll bad boy. But when you learn where he's from and the pain he experienced you kind of understand why he is who he is. Also, he wants to repair the relationship with his sister and also become the father his daughter deserves.

Portia is just trying to keep her family's flower shop from closing. It is her life but soon finds out that maybe there is more to life than running the shop.

I have to say this while I loved Portia and Aubry I found myself being drawn to the secondary story of Laura (Portia's best friend) and Finn (Portia's brother). I just felt so giddy and excited when I started reading there little pieces of the book.

Overall a wonderful debut!! I can't wait to read more!!

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Hugs,
Mindy

A Night Like This - Julia Quinn

 

Anne Wynter might not be who she says she is . . .

But she's managing quite well as a governess to three highborn young ladies. Her job can be a challenge—in a single week she finds herself hiding in a closet full of tubas, playing an evil queen in a play that might be a tragedy (or might be a comedy—no one is sure), and tending to the wounds of the oh-so-dashing Earl of Winstead. After years of dodging unwanted advances, he's the first man who has truly tempted her, and it's getting harder and harder to remind herself that a governess has no business flirting with a nobleman.

Daniel Smythe-Smith might be

But that's not going to stop the young earl from falling in love. And when he spies a mysterious woman at his family's annual musicale, he vows to pursue her, even if that means spending his days with a ten year old who thinks she's a unicorn. But Daniel has an enemy, one who has vowed to see him dead. And when Anne is thrown into peril, he will stop at nothing to ensure their happy ending...

OH WOW two reviews in about a week I'm doing good, LOL!!!

Well I have to say that I'm a huge, huge, HUGE fan of Julia Quinn. I fell in love with her Bridgerton series and even more so with the Smythe-Smith's who were secondary characters in that series. I am soo glad to be reading about them now!!

Anne Wynter (aka Annelisse Shawcross) is trying to get on with her life after a choice she made while she was 16 changed her way of life completely.

Daniel Smythe-Smith is pretty much in the same boat. After a drunken night of cards and a duel at dawn he has been in exile for the last three years. 

The two meet because Anne is the governess to Daniel's three younger cousins. He is immediately enraptured by her beauty and is determined to get to know her.

Anne tries her best to keep a safe distance away from Daniel. She has finally found a position she loves and does not want to risk losing due to the attentions of Lord on Winstead.

Soon they are having to deal with the demons of Anne's past. The man from her past wants his revenge for her having physically scarring him even though all she was trying to do was defend herself.

I absolutely LOVED this book!! As I stated previously I'm a huge fan of Julia Quinn. Her books always make me laugh. I have to say the sparkling gem in this book were Daniel's three cousins - Elizabeth, Frances and Harriet (who by far was my favorite!! And I think she deserves her own book, LOL!!) I love her books because they are always so light hearted (even though this one had some danger) and just make you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

So if you are looking for a book just to lift your spirits then you need to get A Night Like This because I do not think you will be disappointed. If you are well then I feel bad for you, LOL!!

Happy Reading,
Mindy

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Currently Reading -  A Game of Thrones  by George R. R. Martin
Up Next: A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

Fify Shades Freed - E.L. James

When unworldly student Anastasia Steele first encountered the driven and dazzling young entrepreneur Christian Grey it sparked a sensual affair that changed both of their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and, ultimately, repelled by Christian’s singular erotic tastes, Ana demands a deeper commitment. Determined to keep her, Christian agrees.

Now, Ana and Christian have it all—love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of possibilities for their future. But Ana knows that loving her Fifty Shades will not be easy, and that being together will pose challenges that neither of them would anticipate. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own identity. And Christian must overcome his compulsion to control as he wrestles with the demons of a tormented past.

Just when it seems that their strength together will eclipse any obstacle, misfortune, malice, and fate conspire to make Ana’s deepest fears turn to reality.

Hi, everyone!! I’m actually back with a book review for you can you believe it? I’m super excited!!

I finally finished up the last book in the Fifty Shades of Grey series. It sat on hold for a while because of things being not so good in my personal life but I’m happy to say I did finish it.

Also, I have to say that out of the three books this was by far my favorite (although a little less raunchy so to speak, LOL!!).

So Anatasia and Christian are married and are having to deal with coping with the ins and outs of everyday married life along with Christian still struggling with being super, mega overprotective of everything. Also, having to deal with the complications that come with marrying someone you only know a very short time. They seem to work out all their demons and are able to be happy but in no way is it perfect.

They also have to deal with someone from Christian’s past who wants nothing more than to destroy him and his family. There is also some bad news for Anatasia whose father ends up in the hospital after an car accident.

But together they somehow find a way to work it out and at one point I was actually inwardly cheering Anatasia for standing up for herself to Christian and I think it also did him some good.

The best part of the whole book was the Epilogue because Ana and Christian are at their home and playing with their little boy and waiting on the arrival of another child. I am sure that being a father did help Christian out with some of his issues (although he still has some, LOL!!)

I really enjoyed this series but I have to say this - no it was not the most well written book at times but I was able to get past that and just enjoy the story.

So if you want a light (yet sexy) read then I would recommend trying out this series!!

Happy Reading,
Mindy Lu

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Sorry...

Hey everyone I just wanted to write a post to let you guys know why I haven't been around. I thought I was finally getting back into the swing of things (reading and reviewing). I guess I was then my dad got sick. He had been battling liver cancer for two years. At the beginning of this year he started getting a lot sicker. The cancer spread to his brain and pretty much everywhere in his body.

At the beginning of August he lost his battle with cancer and I've just been so very heartbroken over this. I knew it was coming because of how much sicker he got everday and how much weaker also. This was so hard watching the man who I thought could do anything be crippled by illness. He was our hero. He was a great man who would have done anything for anyone if he had the means and ability to do so.

I miss so much everyday and everyday see something, hear something or read something that reminds me of him. I know he is in a much better place than here on this Earth suffering and fighting. I know it is selfish of me to want him back here so I don't hurt anymore. I know I will always miss him and I know that there awill lways be an ache in my heart but in time I will not hurt quite as much.

So I really hope to be back into the grove I found myself soon.

Hugs,
Mindy

Fifty Shades Darker - E.L. James

Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.

But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.

While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.

This is the second book in the Fity Shades trilogy by E.L. James. I have to say that I loved this book just as much as the first one.

We pick up right where we left Christian and Ana in the first book. Ana is still trying to work through her feelings for Christian and his dark side as a Dom in the world of BDSM. Can she really do that? She finds that her feelings for Christian are stronger than she ever imagined and decides that she is worse away from Christian than she is with him.

Christian is tortured by Ana's departure and comes to realize that the feelings he has for her is more potent than any thing he has ever felt before. He is slowly starting to shed of the pain from his past to realize that Ana is the only future that he wants. He decides to fight for that because she makes him everything that he has always wanted to be.

I feel that the relationship of Ana and Christian is very much real and find that in the other they find what they are missing that is why their love is so very emotional and strong.

Well I have to say that I have loved reading these books and am loving reading the last one right now. I mean where can I get my own Christian Grey? I mean complete with fetishes and money...no I'm not that picky, LOL!!

I think if you want a quick and very sexy read then these books are definitely for you but if you don't enjoy a little pain with your pleasure then they might not be the best for you.

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Hugs,
Mindy

Currently Reading: Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James

Up Next: A Night Like This by Julia Quinn

Deadlocked - Charlaine Harris

It’s vampire politics as usual around the town of Bon Temps, but never before have they hit so close to Sookie’s heart…

Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on there were things she’d rather not know. And now that she’s an adult, she also realizes that some things she knows about, she’d rather not see—like Eric Northman feeding off another woman. A younger one.

There’s a thing or two she’d like to say about that, but she has to keep quiet—Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It’s the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric’s front yard—especially the body of the woman whose blood he just drank.

Now, it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s set out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.

WARNING: THERE ARE A COUPLE OF TINY SPOILERS!!
So after much anticipation (a whole freaking year) we have the new Sookie Stackhouse book. With only one more after this one I feel kinda sad. I don’t want it to end but I know that as they say "all good things come to an end". Also sorry this has taken me soo long to get the review up but I’ve just not had the time and now after almost 3 weeks having read it I’m having a hard time recalling everything that happened in the book, LOL!! So this review will probably just be short and sweet - like me...hahahaha!!

In this book Sookie is still dealing with her cousins Claude and Dermot living in her house. She still does not know if they are there for her or if they can sense the presence of the cloir dyvor (I’m sure my spelling is wrong - I will have to check the book when I get home). Also, her relationship with Eric is teetering on the edge.

The beginning has Sookie going over to Eric’s house (after being warned to stay away by his day man and Pam) because Felipe is in town and he has questions about Victor’s death. When Sookie gets there she finds Eric drinking from another girl and after throwing a hissy fit the girl leaves only to be found later that evening dead in his front yard. Who killed her and why?

Enter Beehl...um I mean Bill. He is now the Area 5 Investigator so he begins to look into the girl’s death. What is revealed is something Sookie never in her life imagined!! They find out that the girl had drank fairy blood before entering Eric’s house unannounced to make her more irresistible to Eric. But where did she get the fairy blood? The truth sends Sookie’s world tumbling upside down!

Also Sookie still has the cloir dyvor and Eric has basically asked Sookie to use it to help him get out of his contract with the marriage to the Queen of Oklahoma. Sookie thinks that Eric should get out of the contract on his own without her using the power of the cloir dyvor.

In the end Sookie ends up using the cloir dyvor to save Sam’s life. She did not hesitate and was glad that her paranoia in carrying it around with her actually paid off.

So with the last book due out next year there is one question that needs to be answered (I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking it): Who will Sookie end up with?

Okay as much as I love Eric (Even though Charlaine Harris is making him out to be completely different than he was before. I mean if book 2 Eric met book 12 Eric I’m sure book 2 Eric would kick book 12 Eric’s whiny little ass all over the place. I say this because the Eric I fell in love with would not have worried about some "contract" to marry another woman. If he wanted Sookie and only Sookie that is what he would have had damn the consequences. I want to tell Ms. Harris she was confusing Eric and Bill’s character traits which in my book is NOT okay!!) I just have this feeling that she will not end up with him.

Also, I don’t think she will end up with Bill either (but if she does Lord help me!!). I’ve had this feeling since starting the books that it would be Sam and her in the end and I still kind of see that happening. Which I honestly do not mind. I mean if Sookie and Eric can’t be together I would much rather see her with Sam than pathetic, whiny Bill!!

Happy Reading,
Mindy

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Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L. James

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Well alas my fellow book nerds I am BACK!! Yes finally!! So after almost six months....YES SIX MONTHS of not reading I finally finished a book and I can feel that old feeling coming back!! YIPPEEE!!

I owe E.L. James a huge debt of thanks for knocking me out of quite possibly my longest EVER reading rut.

So over the last couple of months I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about the Shades of Grey trilogy. Well I decided to give it a try and see what I thought of it.

The story took off in an instant and it never let go. From the immediate meeting between Christian and Anastasia there is a palpable tension between them. Also, you gotta love a girl who literally trips over her own two feet into the office of one the world’s richest men.

Anastasia is of the belief that she’s gawky and well not really all the pretty as in comparison to her friend and roommate Kate. Although, she has guys constantly vying for her attention. I guess she is just to oblivious to it. The whole time I was reading this I kept hearing the song You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful by One Direction in my head, LOL!! I feel that the lyrics to that song described Ana perfectly.

Christian knows his affect on women and he’s bound and determined to have Anastasia Steele in his bedroom. Yes he’s rich. Yes he’s good looking but mostly he’s a very tortured soul. He has demons that as of this book are slowly being revealed but I’m sure we’ll learn more over the next two. (Again you guys know I love me a tortured hero, LOL!!)

Finally, Christian convinces Ana to give him a chance but soon she finds out that this man with the cool exterior is hiding a very deep and naughty secret. He’s a Dominant and he wants Ana to be his Submissive. He proposes this to her in the only way he knows how...a business deal. But Ana has wanted more out of life and soon she’s got Christian wanting to give her more and this takes him by surprise.

This book is filled with hot, sexy scenes that will make your heart race and if you read them in public maybe blush just a wee bit, LOL!!

I’m hooked on this series and can’t wait to see how the relationship of Ana and Christian evolves. I will be reading them but first I gotta read the next installment in the Sookie Stackhouse series...Deadlocked!!

So if you are looking for a hot (and I do mean HOT) read then this is the book for you. Now warning if you are not into stuff like BDSM and the like then I don’t recommend it. I read this and afterwards realized something about myself...with this and loving Vishous from The Black Dagger Brotherhood books who is also into BDSM maybe this is a pattern forming...hmmm....something to contemplate, no?

Hugs,
Mindy
The Romance Book Nerd

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HOLY COW!!

HOLY COW I have not posted on this blog since December of last year?? First of all I want to sincerely apologize for my lack of posts/reviews. I have not read ANYTHING since reading the last book in the Hunger Games series. NO WAIT I take that back I read "Hollowland" by Amanda Hocking but for some reason I never posted a review of that...man my mind is slipping!

I have to be honest with you guys I have not even remotely felt like reading anything which worries me deeply! I hope this will be corrected soon because I want to read but my passion for it just isn't there for some reason. I hope this does not go on too much longer because I am liable to go crazy looking at the Mt. Everest of books in my TBR (to be read) pile!!

I think I know some of the reason and well my work schedule has become completely nuts working longer hours and never having any spare time to read at work (lunch, etc). Then recently my dad became severely ill. He has liver cancer in which they removed a tumor about a year and a half ago and since then it has spread to his brain and other places so I am trying to deal with all that emotion right now and it's hard to even think about reading.

Well I will let you guys go for now I do like to check in and let you know what's up with me if I haven't checked in for awhile. I hope you guys are all doing well and I will try my best to put up a review of "Hollowland" and I hope I can find my passion and love for reading again!!

Sincerely,
Mindy