Hello! So, last week my family and I ventured north for our annual camping (glamping more like with showers and flushing toilets) trip at a little lake with a group of people who we’ve been doing this little trip with for the last 6 years. The original group was huge-like 35 families and we’d pretty much take over this place; but as kids got older, that group has dwindled down to about 10 families.  My kids love the lake, so we’ve stuck it out over the years for them. This year was fun but not without it’s stresses…

1. First, I got stung by a yellow jacket on my knee.  I’m not allergic, but it hurt like hell and now I have a bruise!
2. The next day, I fell getting into the lake dropping my yummy pina colada which really pissed me off as I’d only had like two sips. I didn’t think anything of it until I showered that night and felt the lump on the side of my hip/butt area.  Now the bruise has a circumference of about 5 inches. It is purple and will be a rainbow bruise by the end of this week, I’m sure!
3. There was a small fire of sorts that was started by day campers when they let their campfire get away from them, but it was handled quickly and was no threat to campers.
4. The next day there was a larger fire.  All of a sudden we heard a helicopter flying over the cabin. We ran down to the lake to see that it had a water bucket attached to it.  We watched it hover over the lake (yes, while people were in the lake) then lower to pick up water which it took and dropped up near the main road where the fire had started. It made 3 trips and must have got it out because we were not evacuated

Sadly, I hardly read at all over these few days. Do they make a waterproof bag for the Kindle like they have for the iPhone? Because I need this! I really should have looked into that ahead of time, because floating around and reading would have worked for me! Luckily, I do have a couple previously read books to share with you today:

Bachelor Auction by J.C. Reed

June 30, 2018

Contemporary Romance

Self Published

The blurb pulled me in for this new to me author. Emily Harding and her business partner Brenda invest the last of their savings attending an auction where they hope to win a date with single and successful business tycoon Tyler Becks. Everything Tyler touches turns to gold, and Brenda firmly believes that he is the one that can put their business on the map. Emily doesn’t want to have anything to do with Brenda’s plan, but as they are out of options she goes along with it all.

There was a lot that didn’t work for me in this book.  First, they do win the bid at the bachelor auction, but Brenda bid an amount that they couldn’t cover, causing Emily to have to explain this to Tyler. Of course, after meeting Emily, Tyler decides to hire her and within a day she is traveling to Las Vegas to work with Tyler on one of his smaller companies.  Emily is ecstatic. She is familiar with the company/app because she has a profile on it and has struck up a virtual friendship of sorts with another user, a guy named Lucky. They email/post every day and Emily really looks forward to their witty interactions and just being able to talk about her day and do a little innocent flirting.

While Emily is in Las Vegas Tyler demands a lot of her, but never puts any of her ideas into place; he actually shoots all of them down. Emily is increasingly frustrated and pours all of this out to her online buddy Lucky.  Lucky’s responses are mostly of a sexual nature and Emily laughs him off, not intending to ever meet this guy.

I figured out the twist too quickly which ruined the story for me.  I also didn’t really like Emily or Tyler. I didn’t feel their connection at all and the conflicts they go through seem to get swept under the rug with no consequences.  I found the story to be a bit choppy with a subject introduced and then not fleshed out. A story with some potential that didn’t pan out for me.

Grade: D

Racked and Stacked by Lorelei James

Blacktop Cowboys #9

August 7, 2018

Berkley

As a long time fan of Ms. James, I jump at the chance to read anything to do with her hot and sexy cowboys.  Her Rough Riders series featuring the Coleman family was so good! This series is good as well, but the previous book released in 2016 and that was just long enough ago for me to forget Ike Palmer and Riss Thorpe.  I found myself confused and feeling like I was missing something for the first part of the story; but I continued on.

Ike and Riss have always antagonized each other, but they call a truce when they are thrown together in preparations for the wedding of their best friends. Over the course of wedding planning and associated parties they get along pretty well, and hold true to their truce. Following the wedding, they seem to hold on to their newfound friendship and when Riss suffers an injury that has her unable to work and needing extra help, she moves in with Ike who offers to care for.

This story could have been so, so good. I loved Ike. Super kind and caring, he’d raised his younger sisters after his parents died.  He should have cut the apron strings a long time ago, but old habits die hard. He’s still the first person his sisters think to call when something is going on and he always drops what he is doing to take care of them.  He puts that same love and care into taking care of Riss after her accident.

Riss had a similar upbringing, though it was her eldest brother who was tasked with raising Riss and their two brothers when their parents died.  She grows up around boys, and she grows up tough, independant and not in any way your typical girly girl. She doesn’t need or want anyone to take care of her, but she also knows her limitations and is more than grateful for Ike’s help.  

Once these two are under the same roof, all their previous walls come down as they get to know each other in a very different way.  Ike shares the truth about what’s going on in his life and his business which is in trouble and Riss shares how she is has her own financial issues because of the fact that she is unable to work while she is healing.  They come to an agreement that works for both of them, and through it find a partnership not only in business but in love as well.

For me, this story should have and could have been so much more.  There is good sexual tension between Ike and Riss in some of the early scenes. They have so much in common and really make a good team, both in business and personally. They really just fit together perfectly. It just missed the mark along the way and I just can’t put my finger on it.  I’m not sure if it was because I couldn’t place these characters in my memory for this series or I just didn’t connect with them strongly as I read. Something was just missing for me. I’m invested at 9 books in, however–so I’m sure I’ll keep reading.

Grade: C