Review: The Djinn’s Dilemma by Mina Khan

Format read: ebook
Series: n/a
Release Date: 1 Nov 2011
Length: novella
Publisher: Harlequin Nocturne Cravings
Formats available: ebook
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s Website, Amazon, Publisher Website

Book Blurb:

Rukh O’Shay, half-djinn and assassin, is used to taking out the bad guys. But his latest assignment, Sarah White, is nothing like he expected. A glimpse of her bright aura reveals her gentle spirit, while her luscious beauty clouds his mind and makes him long for only one thing—to taste her.

Sarah shares the feeling of raw desire at Rukh’s touch. He can turn her on with a glance, and satisfies desires she didn’t even know she had. But Rukh had been hired to kill her—and the only way to save her is to find out who wants her dead before someone else finishes the job…

My Thoughts:

What do you do when the one person who steals your heart is the person you’re meant to kill? That very intriguing premise …

My Wishlist: The Stuck on my Shelf (Romance) Edition

I’m sure this is nothing new, but I am seriously behind on my reading…seriously. And in this state (add in the necessary “perpetual” there), there are books that I’ve had for a while that are just taking up room on my shelves, waiting for the time when I can give them my undivided attention. (Don’t tell the books, but it’s not anywhere in the foreseeable future 🙁 )

Add to this dilemma, that winter is traditionally romanticized by the ability to “curl up with a good book”,  especially a romance novel,  said books must be feeling even sadder. With Valentine’s Day not too far around the corner, I thought I would share the romance books that are quietly demanding to be read. I may have to break down and read at least one of these during the month of February…

The Mistress’ House by Leigh Michaels

First in a smart, sexy, …

Review: Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Format Read: Hardcover, provided by the publisher
Release Date: September 5, 2011
Publisher: Poppy
Formats Available: Hardcover, Kindle, ebook, audiobook
Purchasing Info: Amazon, Book Depository, Chapters, Hachette Canada, Author’s Website, Goodreads

Book Blurb:

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it’s a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy’s car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend’s attention

Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players’ girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won’t get any action from them …

Elements in Lit 201: Today’s Lesson – Weaponry

First off, let me start with a slight apology for the last post. It was a confusing one at best but I may have made it worse. I totally blame the cold meds! Anyway, we’ll take a look again at forms of address down the road with a more concise (less medicated) list.

For today though, I wanted to look at something different. I’ve been feeling a bit feisty, listening to zombie apocalypse audiobooks and such. I think there would be a great cathartic release at being able to wield a weapon against a foe (though, I’d probably be squeamish when it came right down to it.) To this end, I thought we’d take a look at weapons we might find in stories through the ages.

 The catapult is a legendary tool, used in the Middle Ages to lay sieges on many castles. This one is a bit bulky to …

Review: One Perfect Night by Rachael Johns

Format Read: e-book provided by publisher through NetGalley
Release Date: December 19th 2011
Publisher: Carina Press
Formats Available: e-book, Kindle Edition
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website,  Goodreads, Publisher,  Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble

Book Blurb:

Peppa Grant’s fellow employees may call their new CEO Mr. McSexy, but she’s also heard that he’s aloof and distant. Cameron McCormac certainly seems cold toward Christmas when she meets him at the company’s annual party…but he’s also the sexiest man Peppa has ever seen. And when he offers to forgive the damage she accidentally caused to his expensive car in exchange for accompanying him to his family’s holiday get-together, she agrees.

Cameron needs a date to the family party to get his matchmaking relatives off his back. Their chemistry is instant and undeniable, leading to an incredible one-night stand. But Peppa wants love and family, while Cameron’s only interested in temporary pleasure. When their relationship takes …

New Releases: January 16-22, 2012

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine–despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she’s reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy’s motives aren’t quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a …

Review: No Dress Required by Cari Quinn

No Dress Required by Cari Quinn

Format Read:e-book purchased by reviewer
Length: 61 Pages
Release Date: December 25, 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Formats Available: Kindle, Nook, eBook
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher, Goodreads, Kindle, Nook

Book Blurb:

After years of ho-hum dating, Noelle Gregory is tired of fooling around. There’s only ever been one guy for her—Jake Conroy, her best friend’s older brother. Now that Jake’s back in town, she’s headed to his sister’s New Year’s Eve party to make her move. Purse full of condoms? Check. Sparkly dress guaranteed to show Jake the sexy woman she’s become? Check.

Carjacker that makes off with both two hours before the party? Check.

When Jake finds Noelle stranded on the side of the road—looking sexier than ever in her striped socks and silly holiday shirt, damn it—he’s glad for the snowstorm that cancels his sister’s party. His and Noelle’s …

Interview: Author Cari Quinn + Giveaway!

Cari Quinn

Please join us in welcoming Cari Quinn to BLI today! Cari wrote her first story—a bible parable in 2nd grade, much to the delight of the nuns at her Catholic school. Once she saw the warm reception that first tale garnered, she was hooked. She attempted her first romance in junior high, long before she’d ever read one. Writing what she knew always took a backseat to what she wanted to know, and that still holds true today.

Cari is here to celebrate the publication of her latest contemporary romance No Dress Required released on Christmas Day and is part of Entangled Publishing’s new Flirts and Ever After lines!

Lea: Cari! Welcome to BLI, thank you so much for joining us today! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Cari: Thank you so much for having me! I’m a multi-published author of mainly …

The Good The Bad and the Are-You-Kidding-Me?

Today we have some highly anticipated novels and their covers in tow. After religiously stalking author websites, we were so excited about some of them that we just had to bring them up to your attention. The ohhhhhing, awwwwing and squeeing unnerved most of the people around us so we had to find another outlet. 😉 It’s a varied mix of genres but well you know how these book addictions work. So take a drink and join the discussion.

Caro: Alright so I read the Mortal Instruments series a few years back and I have to admit I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t relate the books if I read them now. But I can’t help but want to read City of Lost Souls. I mean come ON!!! Jace and Clary embracing on the cover? YAY They both look AWESOME! It looks romantic. *sigh*.
Same thing with The Taken. I have been traumatized by …

Guest Post by Laura Kaye, Leia Rice, Stephanie Draven + Giveaway

Heating Up Your New Year
Three HQN Authors Talk About How Erotic Novels Can Fit Into Your New Plan

While Harlequin is known primarily for romance, they also offer hotter fare. Today, the three fabulous authors Stephanie Draven, Laura Kaye and Leia Rice–all hailing from the great state of Maryland–are here to tell us why women should plan to read a little erotica in the coming year. 

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Ladies, what can readers get out of erotic romance that they can’t find in other novels?

Laura: Easy! Erotic novels are hot, and it’s dang cold outside! *winks* But, seriously, erotic romance has a special intensity to it. The stakes are high. The emotions are strong. And the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Erotic stories are a feast for your senses and can take you on a journey that will leave you breathless in the best possible way. …