A Scandalous Affair (The Merry Widows #3) by Karen Erickson

From the moment Daphne, Lady Pomeroy, meets the mysterious Marquess of Hartwell at a masquerade ball, she’s determined to seduce him. The handsome, charming man cannot possibly be the cold, calculating lord who Society calls “Black Hart.” Risking everything, the lonely widow invites the elusive Hartwell to her dinner party . . . for two.

Hartwell’s arrogant reputation is built on a lie. For he has a shameful secret that keeps him in the shadows: a stutter—his downfall since childhood. He’d rather keep his mouth shut than look the fool. But he’s shocked to discover that in Daphne’s company—and in her bed—his stutter vanishes.

After one wanton evening together, Daphne is hurt when the lord lives up to his Black Hart name. Yet his reasons for leaving surprise even him. Now he must confess everything or risk losing Daphne forever…

4.5/5 stars

My one biggest complaint with this book is it was way to short! I really wanted to read more about the two MCs. It isn't very often you get to read a romance where one of the MCs have some sort of affliction or disability, most times they're perfect. This book had a character with a stuttering problem which he thinks makes him look like a fool in social settings. That changes when he meets the beautiful Daphne. Around her he is different and is amazed his stutter vanishes. The two start a dance of seduction that leads to much more. Julia and Garrett make a very small appearance in this book too, which is always great to see past couples. If you'd like to read a fast historical romances this is a definite must. Actually the whole series is pretty good. Looking forward to more books in this series, hopefully.

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

4/5 stars

When I first started reading this I thought it was going to be just another run-of-the-mill paranormal YA book, but I was so wrong. It kinda started out slow then picked up then got a little creepy and finally turned into a heck of a book. Jane was a street smart girl trying her best to better herself through education, but I don't think she was quite ready for the real education she got at Birch Grove. Add in the love triangle and the story just got more interesting. I thought at first Mary Violet was annoying, but as I read more of the story she sort of became a little endearing. I really liked the world this was set in. It had a very gothic feel towards it. I enjoyed this book tremendously and look forward to reading more from Ms. Acosta.

Jesse (The Secret Life of Cowboys #3) by C.H. Admirand

Jesse Garahan no longer believes in love. Until he meets Danielle Brockway and her tiny daughter, Lacey, on their way to their new home in Pleasure, TX. Danielle’s worthless ex-husband left her high and dry, and now she’s looking for a simple small-town to start over in—and then she meets Jesse. She just can’t seem to help herself where long-limbed, swaggering Texas men are concerned. Suddenly, life is anything but simple.

5/5 stars

This is the third book in a series about three brothers who live in the small town of Pleasure, Texas. Jesse is the youngest and lives with his brothers and their women. While he's happy for his family he can't help being a little jealous that he doesn't have someone warming his heart and his bed. That changes when he helps Danielle and her three year old daughter, Lacy, and soon becomes totally smitten with the two of them. What follows is a sweet but pretty hot romance that really grabs your attention tip the very end.

It was great to see Jesse finally finding a love of his own after reading both of his brothers' books. And having a little peek of both brothers was nice to read too. But really little Lacy stole the book from right under Jesse and Danielle's noses. She was too cute and stole my heart right along with the Garahan brothers. We were also introduced to the cousins and I definitely wouldn't mind reading their stories in the future. All in all, this was a nice wrap up of a series that I highly recommend to anyone who likes reading about sexy cowboys and the women strong enough to tame them. I can't wait to read more books by this author and am eagerly waiting her new series about the sisters from Ohio.

Samantha Moon: All Four Novels (Vampire for Hire #1-4) by J.R. Rain

MOON DANCE
(Vampire for Hire #1)
Mother, wife, private investigator...vampire. Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire.

Now the world at large thinks Samantha has developed a rare skin disease, a disease which forces her to quit her day job and stay out of the light of the sun. Now working the night shift as a private investigator, Samantha is hired by Kingsley Fulcrum to investigate the murder attempt on his life, a horrific scene captured on TV and seen around the country. But as the case unfolds, Samantha discovers Kingsley isn't exactly what he appears to be; after all, there is a reason why he survived five shots to the head.

VAMPIRE MOON
(Vampire for Hire #2)
Private investigator Samantha Moon finds herself hunting down a powerful crime lord and protecting an innocent woman from her ruthless ex-husband -- all while two very different men vie for her heart. And as the stakes grow higher and her cases turn personal, Samantha Moon will do whatever it takes to protect the innocent and bring two cold-blooded killers to justice -- her own brand of justice.

AMERICAN VAMPIRE
(Vampire for Hire #3)
Private investigator Samantha Moon receives a heartbreaking phone call from a very unlikely source: a five-year-old girl who's been missing for three months. Now on the hunt, Samantha will use her considerable resources -- including her growing supernatural abilities -- to locate the missing girl before it's too late. And as she gets closer and closer to the horrible truth, she receives devastating news on the home front. Now with her world turned upside down, Samantha Moon is forced to make the ultimate choice of life and death.

MOON CHILD
(Vampire for Hire #4)
Now in MOON CHILD, sequel to AMERICAN VAMPIRE, private investigator Samantha Moon is faced with an impossible decision -- a decision that no mother should ever have to make. A decision that will change her life, and those she loves, forever. And through it all, Sam finds herself in a lethal game of vampire vs. vampire as a powerful -- and desperate -- enemy will stop at nothing to claim what he most desires.

3/5 stars

I have tried for nearly three weeks to make it through these books and I just can't. I've read the first two and that was enough for me. I really could care less how cute she thought she was or how sexy every man she saw was. Ugh and don't get me started on the flying creature she becomes. Some of the chapters were so random and seemed to just be fillers for the book to be longer. One of these days I will try to finish the last two books, but not right now.



Okay, so I finally finished this set of books and I must admit that I liked the last two (American Vampire and Moon Child) a heck of a lot more then the first two. Maybe the stories were more interesting or she didn't admire herself as much, but I actually find myself wanting to read the next in the series to see what happens next.

Acrobat by Mary Calmes

Forty-five-year-old English professor Nathan Qells is very good at making people feel important. What he’s not very good at is sticking around afterward. He’s a nice guy; he just doesn’t feel things the way other people do. So even after all the time he’s spent taking care of Michael, the kid across the hall, he doesn’t realize that Michael’s mob muscle uncle and guardian, Andreo Fiore, has slowly been falling in love with him.

Dreo has bigger problems than getting Nate to see him as a potential partner. He’s raising his nephew, trying to leave his unsavory job, and starting his own business, a process made infinitely more difficult when a series of hits takes out some key underworld players. Still, Dreo is determined to build a life he can be proud of—a life with Nate as a cornerstone. A life that is starting to look like exactly what Nate has been looking for. Unfortunately for Dreo—and for Nate—the last hits were just part of a major reorganization, and Dreo’s obvious love for Nate has made him a target too.

5/5 stars

I read this book about a month ago and just now realized that I didn't review it, so I reread it (I know....such a hardship, right?!) and you know what I found out? It's even better the second time. The relationships that Nate has with each character is handled differently. With Mel it's a fun laugh-out-loud kinda thing they've got going on and with Michael it's sort of a fatherly role. Oh, but with Dreo it's a shaky one to begin with then turns into quite the scorcher. Some parts were a little far fetched, but for the most part you really don't notice it because the writing is just so delicious. You really want to get to know the characters in this book, even Dr. Sean had his moments. I love reading anything Mary Calmes writes. Each book just surpasses the last. Can't wait to see what she writes next!

Death by Petticoat: American History Myths Debunked by Mary Miley Theobald

Every day stories from American history that are not true are repeated in museums and classrooms across the country. Some are outright fabrications; others contain a kernel of truth that has been embellished over the years. Collaborating with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Mary Miley Theobald has uncovered the truth behind many widely repeated myth-understandings in our history in Death by Petticoat including:* Hat makers really were driven mad. They were poisoned by the mercury used in making hats from furs. Their symptoms included hallucinations, tremors, and twitching, which looked like insanity to people of the 17th and 18th centuries--and the phrase "mad as a hatter" came about.*

3/5 stars

This book was full of myths about history that I found pretty interesting. Any lover of trivia will like reading this book. A few things I had heard or read before, but most of stories were new to me. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend to others that like to read about the truth in history.