10. My Week – I went to the eye dr and learned my right eye is now worse than my left – which means I need to keep track of my contacts when I take them out at night. This doesn’t bode well for me. I’m not known to take very good care of my contacts. But on a positive note – wow, I can see again!
9. Okay, so not the best cover ever but let’s just move on because this is one of my favorite series. Fish & Chips is book three of Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux’s Cut & Run series. And OMG this book. This series follows two FBI agents, Ty Grady and Zane Garrett. In book one, they reluctantly become FBI partners (they pretty much hate each other) and about halfway through book one, they reluctantly become lovers (they still kind of hate each other). They are both very alpha, and cranky. Zane used to be married and Ty occasionally sleeps with women…but they are physically attracted to each other. There is no foreplay involved here – just intense…..smexin’ . But that is all in book one.
By Fish & Chips, they have admitted to themselves, they love the other. Of course, they are both too emotionally immature to admit it to each other. At least at the beginning of this book. But their relationship really grows in this one. And there is a sex scene towards the end (okay right around 63% – of course I memorized the Kindle %) that is one of the hottest scenes I have read. Probably because their relationship has been building up throughout these three books. It made the scene that much more – intense.
Today, book four, Divide & Conquer is out!!! I’m so excited!! I highly recommend this series. I will say the first two books, while there is hot smexin’ they are heavy on suspense (each book has a new suspense/fbi assignment). But their sarcastic banter, and the way these authors have allowed their relationship to grow through each book is really something great. They each have such huge insecurities, and to watch them come to trust the other, is so romantic. And like I said, you are going to want to start with book one, Cut & Run.
8. Gena Showalter news! Yesterday, the cover for The Darkest Seduction (out on 2/21/12) was released! This will be Paris and Sienna’s story. A few other things revealed – Might be spoilery….
– Paris can’t sleep with same woman twice. Heroine also a Lord of the Underworld possessed by Wrath.
– Ashlyn gives birth in Paris’s book. Has a boy, named Urban, and girl, Ever!
Also, she announced a spin-off series, Angels of the Dark. The first book is called, Wicked Night and will feature Zacharel. I’m not sure if a release date has been announced.
For a more complete wrap up, head over to Hanging With Bells.
7. Tessa Dare has announced that she is releasing a Spindle Cove e-novella called, Once Upon a Winter’s Eve with Samhian releasing November 15th. And Thea Harrison has similar news. She will be releasing a novella with Samhain in her Elder Races world called True Colors. That is coming out December 13th. Yay for Samhain!
6. Cover Alert! Hot in Handcuffs Anthology….coming next July. So we only have 9 months to wait. I enjoy the pink handcuffs by the way ;)
Another Cover Alert! AHHH!!! The final book in Carolyn Crane’s trilogy – Head Rush – coming out this December with Samhain. Love, love, love this urban fantasy series. As I’ve said before, you must read these in order – Mind Games and Double Cross are the first two. So excited to finally see how this series plays out!
Also – Justine is finally not holding a knife on the cover! Which never made any sense to me. This one is much better.
5. Charlaine Harris has announced after her last Sookie book comes out (in 2013) she is going to start a graphic novel trilogy called Cemetery Girl. It will “combine fantasy and paranormal mystery to tell the story of a teenaged girl with amnesia who has grown up living alone in amid the gravestones.” I don’t know, this doesn’t seem like my kind of thing, but who knows. Via Heroes & Heartbreakers.
4. A few ebook deals I’ve noticed this week:
Something Different by S.A. Reid – m/m romance, $.99 Kindle, Nook. This was reviewed at Dear Author earlier this week very favorably.
Heating Up the Kitchen by Jill Shalvis, is a recipe book that coincides with her Lucky Harbor series. It is free! Kindle, Nook.
The Samhain book, Call Me: Joker’s Wild – erotic – is free on Kindle, Nook.
Holiday Sparks by Shannon Stacey – contemporary, $1.99 Kindle, Nook. This is a super cute novella. I really enjoyed it last year.
3. The Very Virile Viking by Sandra Hill is being reissued on 10/25. Is the new cover (above) better than the first one, that came out in 2003?
I’m not sure. (He may be very virile, but dude needs new hair) But for some reason this book is calling to me. Could it be the blurb?
Magnus Ericsson is a simple man. He loves the smell of fresh-turned dirt after springtime plowing. He loves the feel of a soft woman under him in the bed furs. He loves the heft of a good sword in his fighting arm.
But, Holy Thor, what he does not relish is the bothersome brood of children he’s been saddled with. Or the mysterious happenstance that strands him in a strange new land— the kingdom of Holly Wood. Here is a place where the folks think he is an act-whore (whatever that is), and the woman of his dreams—a winemaker of all things—fails to accept that he is her soul mate, a man of exceptional talents, not to mention . . . a very virile viking
I love this blurb so much. It may be fantastically cheesy, but it sounds amusing as well. Have any of you read it?? Am I in for an over the top viking? Tweeter, @fshk sent me this link, which is an amusing take on the book.
I’ll crack it open soon and see how Very Virile this Viking can be.
2. Romance at Random put out a list of the romance books coming out from now through the end of December. It is so pretty and sparkly. Let’s go stare at it for a few hours.
1. I leave you with a shirtless man of steel. The muscles, the chest…Smexy is in love with Henry “Superman” Cavill. (Thanks @RedHotBooks)
Hey! Have I told you how much I look forward to your top ten? So great! always makes me smile! Absolutely dying to read the new Urban and Roux; LOVE the Showalter cover for Paris’ book. Can’t wait to see how she fixes the one woman each night thing. Yay for C. Crane. It feels like it’s been forever. Samhain seem odd-did she move? You’ll have to tell me how you like the Viking book. Sadly, I don’t like either cover. Lastly, I can’t believe that’s Henry Cavill-doesn’t even look like him. Muscles are spectacular though! OH, thanks for the info on freebies.
Yes – Crane moved to a new pub for her third book.
His muscles are quite spectacular!! :)
YAY! Great news this week Mandi! Another Showalter Series? YES! A handcuffs anthology? YES! Awesome Samhain novella’s? YES!
LOL..lots of excitement this week!
DARE NOVELLA?! *dies* so exciting. Off to set reminder for self!
as for that man of steel… *faints*
and the viking… oh verily I think you’ll enjoy the thick sap… can’t WAIT to hear quotes + how that book is. (btw – I wouldn’t have guessed which cover was new. Both are viking/cheesy-tastic)
Cheesy-tasic FTW.
And yes – Dare novella. You must review it for us :)
I’m so excited that Zacharel gets his own story! Can’t wait!! Go Gena!
I’m not a big fan of Sandra Hill, but I like her older books and The Very Virile Viking is my favorite, it’s so sweet and funny, I loved this book (btw, there is a different cover for the first pub of this book, it’s cartoon cover).
Oh really? I look forward to reading it!
Cemetery girl sounds a lot like the Graveyard book by Gaiman, oh well
It doesn’t really interest me
Didn’t you promise up an excerpt of the Fish and Chips smexin’ on Twitter?
http://twitter.com/#!/smexybooks/status/123789214612602880
(**taps foot**) I’ve been waiting all week!
LOL..omg – you have proof! You make me LOL.
I’ll make it up to you – in next week’s top ten. I swears.
Just wait….
AHHHHH Head Rush!!!!
I know!! I NEED this book!!!!
Henry…*drooling* Thanks for the shoutout. Have a great weekend!
:)
The Very Virile Viking’s new hair is all sorts of awesome. He could take a side job pimping hair products.
Shirtless man of steel…*happy sign* Though his pants need some more rips in them.
Yes – our just ripped off altogether :)
That Viking book from 2003 is just bad! LOL Of course it does let us smutty women have fun in trying to look for ‘bits’ under the bottoms! LMAO
And it has taken Ashlyn 9 freaking books to have her kids? Hello?! Talk about a loooonnnngggg pregnancy! Are they going to pop out as teenagers now since it took so long?
LOL..you never know in these books!
So happy you gave a shout out to Ty and Zane!! Seriously – this series is genius. And that scene at 63% in book 3 is right up there along wih the V and Jane bathroom scene in my book. It is that damn hot!! Ty Grady is my man. And today I’m so damn tired because those FBI boys kept me up until 12:45am. We must talk after you read the preview for book 5.
Book 5!!! There really is a God!
I hear 9ish books to the series :)
I have once tried a book by Sandra Hill, but the humor is just not my kind of humor. Not a viking book though, but an Elvis parody.
An Elvis Parody? Oh my….
Poor smexy eyes. My eyes were really off-5.5 and 6.25. But they corrected themselves over time. Weeee Maybe yours will too.
YEA PARIS!!! I can’t wait for this book. YUM.
Henry. *swoon* He is so delish.
The Very Virile King. *giggle*
Maybe…my eyes are falling apart though – I fear reading glasses are in my near future :)
I just love the Head Rush cover. It’s actually my favorite of the three!
I love it too!! I think it captures the series really well
I think I might have read that Sanra Hill book. I went through a phase where I read a lot of her stuff. Dont remember much. They are pretty entertaining I you aren’t looking for anything serious but get a bit repetitive after a while. I think I liked her cajun series better. And gah, those covers! Hard to believe that is the UPDATED one.
PS. Can I share your Henry Cavil superman boyfriend? Or better yet, I’ll take the Hebry Cavil early Tudors version!
LOL – yes, you can have him in Tudor style – I’ll take Superman ;)
I LOVE the Cut & Run series! The only reason why I read them in the first place was because I saw you reading Cut & Run on GR. I bought it, read it and then some how managed to devour the the whole series in a day and a half. Now I’m heading off to buy Divide & Conquer.. yippee!!
Awesome!! I just finished D&C a few minutes ago. OMG. We need to talk. Maybe I’ll email you!
Why, Mandi, me think you must need to read The Very Virile Viking. He’s very virile, indeed, with he has 13 children, even not all his own children ;-). I love Sandra Hill books. Its silly, but I always read it when I’m stressed just to laugh out a lot =)
And,left behind about Gena’s news! Finally Ashlyn giving birth for her children, must be the long pregnancy I’ve ever read!
LOL – it sounds very silly but cute. I think I do need to read him!
Hey Mandi,
Thanks for the hot tip on the Cut and Run series, I am reading the first one now and loving it. Fictionwise is having a 60% off sale, ends today, so I scooped them all up. Yay!
Awesome!!! And what a great sale to get them all!!! I just finished bk 4 and I think it is the best of the series. I hope you continue to enjoy :)
Love your Friday Top 10. The Cut and Run series is one of my favorites. I love Ty and Zane. I am in mourning becase I just finished Divide & Conquer. I am really looking forward to Armed and Dangerous the next book.
I just finished D&C this afternoon. SO GOOD!!!! And I noticed that the two guys in the preview for bk 5 are the heroes in Warrior’s Cross..have you read that book? I just downloaded – I’m going to start it tonight.
Did your heart break just a little with the last line in D&C?
“Did your heart break just a little with the last line in D&C?”
It did. I was like “you can’t end like that!”
I have read Warriors Cross, and liked it. I was excited to see that the WC characters would be in the next book.