The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop

This is my read for the December TBR challenge, which for this month was to read a book published prior to 2006. Whilst I might have only just scraped in for the deadline to post, I actually finished reading it quite early in the month on 11 December.

Jared is a Red-Jeweled Warlord bound as a pleasure slave by the Ring of Obedience. After suffering nine years of torment as a slave, he murdered his owner and escaped - only to be caught and sold into slavery once again.

Purchased by a notorious queen, Jared fears he will share the mysterious fate of her other slaves - never to be seen again - and so prepares himself for death. But the Gray Lady may not be what she seems and Jared soon faces a difficult decision: his freedom or his honour....

Title: The Invisible Ring

Author: Anne Bishop

Year published: 2000

Why did you get this book? I have read the Black Jewels trilogy and can't get enough of them so at the moment I am trying to get anything I can that is set in that world.

Do you like the cover? It's okay.

Did you enjoy the book? Yes!

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? No, the author wasn't new to me and yes I would definitely read other things by this author. I actually have Dreams Made Flesh here to read at the moment - more stories set in the same worlds as the Black Jewels trilogy.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? The library wouldn't like me anymore if I kept it so I took it back. If it had of been mine in the first place I would definitely have kept it!

Anything else? This is in many ways a prequel to the Black Jewels trilogy but I am glad that I read it in published order as I could just sit down and enjoy it already understanding the way that the world worked. A very enjoyable read.

Anne Bishop is definitely one of my finds of 2006. I can't wait for the next Black Jewels book to come out!!

Rating 4.5/5

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

This month's TBR challenge, was to read a book that was originally published in e-book format.

A fresh new talent in the realm of paranormal romance, Nalini Singh dives into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind - and none of the heart...

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of "rehabilitation" - the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was...

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion - and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities - or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.

Title: Slave to Sensation

Author: Nalini Singh

Year published: 2006

Why did you get this book? I've read such good reviews that I just had to add it to my list.

Do you like the cover? Yes, pretty much. Nothing that we haven't seen before though.

Did you enjoy the book? Yes


Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? This is a completely new author to me, and I will definitely be getting the next book in this series!

Are you keeping it or passing it on? I have a real hard time letting go of books at the best of times, but this time it is a definite keeper.

Anything else? This is one of the most unusual storylines I have read in a long time. Sascha Duncan is Psy, one of a race of people who have successfully managed to ensure that they feel no emotion. They are perfect in business, and in life, but Sascha knows that she is flawed. She feels a way that no Psy should, and it only gets worse after she meets the were-panther Lucas Hunter. Lucas has such strong emotions, bonds of strength with his pack, terrible memories from the past, hope that he is able to get it together with the Psy woman that he knows is much more than just Psy.

As Lucas and his pack try to stop a vicious Psy killer, Sascha learns about her people, and learns to allow herself to feel in every way. The only problem is, can she survive away from the Psynet that she has been linked to for her whole life.

I really liked both the characters of Lucas and Sascha. Lucas gradually realising that he is going to have to learn to trust someone else, and Sascha learning to trust her emotions...really, really good!! And it didn't hurt that Lucas was hot either!!

Rating 4/5

Lover Eternal by J R Ward

Or this post could also be titled "Darn it...on the Wall of Shame again!". This is the book that I read for October TBR challenge, but I finished it a little late! But I hear I wasn't the only one this month!!

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious love - for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships, is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhages's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves...

Title: Lover Eternal

Author: J R Ward

Year published: 2006

Why did you get this book? I read Dark Lover not too long ago, and enjoyed it, so I am working my way through the Black Dagger Brotherhood books.

Do you like the cover? I guess so.

Did you enjoy the book? Yes

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? No the author is not new to me, and yes I will definitely be reading more. In fact I ordered it so I should get it delivered to me tomorrow...hopefully. So much for not buying books at the moment.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Definitely keeping it!

Anything else? If nothing else I find it interesting that Ward takes circumstances that shouldn't work and puts them into a story where it just does! For example, I could never have imagined reading a book where the heroine has cancer with all the bruises etc, and yet it is still sexy. The hero has an inner beast that comes out....and that's sexy too. At one stage he even tries to go with other women to be able to keep the beast under control. Normally cheating would bother me, but in this case it didn't!

I loved the way that Bella and Zsadist's story started to be woven through the second half of this book. Can't wait to read Lover Awakened.

Rating 4/5

Trust Me On This by Jennifer Crusie

As I start this review it is 11.23pm on 1 October, but given that this is the book that I was going to read for the September TBR challenge, I am going to say that I completed the challenge, because surely it is still September somewhere in the world (buggered if I can find where though!) Am I clutching at straws? Okay, fine then....I didn't meet the TBR challenge for September...I'm on the Wall of Shame for sure!! LOL!!

The challenge for September was to read a category book or to read a book from a series. Actually I probably could have qualified the series one nine times over in the last month!

"I bet that smile gets you everything you want...."

As soon as Alec Prentice spotted the spicy brunette in red silk, he vowed that the tempting con woman would not escape him! Dennie Banks was prepared to do anything to get her story, even flirt her way into the arms of a man who promised to help—but when the feisty reporter dared him to kiss her, his mouth scorched hers with wildfire yearning. Could two passionate partners in crime get their man and each other?

In a deliciously fast-paced and funny romance, Jennifer Crusie proves without a doubt that everyone's guilty of something—and it might just be love! Drawn into a reckless charade by a man whose dangerous charm was hard to resist,could she uncover his mysteries without surrendering her own?

Title: Trust Me on This

Author: Jennifer Crusie

Year published: 1997

Why did you get this book? I only started reading Jennifer Crusie's books last year, and really enjoyed them. Since July last year I have read all of her books, with the exception of three - Sizzle, Cinderella Man and this one. I therefore got this book because I am trying to catch up on her backlist!

Do you like the cover? What's not to like - Purple dress, big hair, clinch.....lovely!

Did you enjoy the book? Yes

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? No the author is not new to me, and yes I will definitely be trying to track down those elusive books by her. Actually it is exciting to note that Jenny Crusie has quite a few new things coming up soon - the first being a novella in the Santa Baby anthology that is soon to be released.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? For a change this wasn't a library book, so this time I am keeping it!

Anything else? I really enjoyed this. Yes, it was rushed in terms of the time line, but I liked the humour, and the set up. I liked the fact that there were in effect two parallel romances going on through this novel, with the second one featuring Alec's aunt. The only part of the plot that didn't feel as though it was resolved properly was about the conman and his girlfriend, but given that the book was only just over 200 pages long I am prepared to let that one go! I am not disappointed that I sought this one out. Now I just need to find the other two books of Crusie's that I haven't read and I will be set!

Rating 4/5

Romantic Suspense

So I signed up for the July TBR challenge, which is to read a Romantic Suspense title.

No problems, right? Well, no. Except for the fact that I have only read a couple of romantic suspense titles, and have very little romantic suspense on my TBR pile. There are a couple, although I am not terribly inspired to read them at the moment. So, I am seeking recommendations.

Which romantic suspense titles should I be reading?

Don't Look Down by Jennifer Cruisie and Bob Mayer

This is my read for the June TBR challenge, which for this month was to read a book from your TBR pile that was recommended by someone you “know” (another blogger, author, friend, family member) or got a lot of buzz and that’s why you bought it but it’s still on your TBR pile. This book had a LOT of prerelease buzz on the internet.

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Crusie teams up with USA Today bestselling author Bob Mayer to write a sizzling, high-octane romantic adventure about a straight-talking woman and a straight-shooting man…

Lucy Armstrong is a director of television commercials who's just been recruited to finish a four-day action movie shoot. But she arrives on the set to discover that the directing staff has quit, the make-up artist is suicidal, the stars are egomaniacs, the stunt director is her ex-husband, and the lead actor has just acquired as an advisor a Green Beret who has the aggravating habit of always being right.

Green Beret Captain JT Wilder had thought that hiring on as a military consultant for a movie star was a good deal: easy money and easier starlets. Instead he has to babysit a bumbling comedian, dodge low-flying helicopters, and resist his attraction to a director who bears a distracting resemblance to Wonder Woman. Then the CIA calls and he realizes that somebody is taking “shooting a movie” much too literally.

Full of suspense and humor, non-stop action and fast-paced dialogue, Don't Look Down is the perfect blend of male and female, adventure and romance, Mayer and Crusie.

Title: Don't Look Down

Author: Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Year published: 2006

Why did you get this book? Crusie is a relatively new author to me, and I have been glomming her books this year. Given the prerelease hype there was no way I was not going to get hold of this book eventually.

Do you like the cover? Yes. I did lose the ta-da effect of the camouflage cover under the jacket because this was a library book and therefore had been covered for it's protection.

Did you enjoy the book? Mostly. It wasn't exceptional, but it wasn't terrible either.

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? I've read Jenny Crusie before, but I have not read any Bob Mayer (or any of his alter-egos) books previously.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? It's a library book so keeping it isn't really a consideration, but if it wasn't I would probably pass on it.

Anything else?I do enjoy reading the He Wrote She Wrote blog most of the time. It is often hysterically funny..something that didn't happen all that much in the book. Will I read the next book collaboration between these two...absolutely. The basis is there for an excellent story. Just need to work through a few of the kinks - like a four day story where they are going to have a HEA!

Rating: 3.5/5