Some musings for your Friday.. Who sends these books!?

As a lover of books, it's like Christmas every time I receive a book in the mail - even if it's something I've bought myself. Now that I'm a reviewer, as well as enter many contests, I'm getting books a lot more than I used to (yay!). But here's my problem.

WHO'S SENDING THEM?! 

Oh, okay, most of the time I know. But every so often, I have a book come to me, and I have no clue why. No one has notified me that I won anything, there's no letter in it saying this book is for review or no letter at all, the return address is just confusing... and I'm left excited (I got a book, yay!), and more than a little confused (why do I have this?!).

Am I just too obsessed with knowing why? What about everyone else - do you just get excited, with none of the confusion, or are you like me and want to know why?

Well, have a wonderful Friday everyone, and enjoy your weekend! 
Until next time!
~!~ Morning Glow

Review of "Naked Dragon" by Annette Blair

I'll be honest.. I picked this book up because I saw the next book in the series was called "Bedeviled Angel" and I wanted to see if I would like this author. That... and okay, I couldn't wait. No judging.

Disclaimer: This book is on loan from my local library. I was not given this book, nor any sort of monetary incentive, for a review. I am, however, an Amazon.com Affiliate, and will earn an (extremely) small percentage if you buy this book through my Amazon.com link.

Type: Paranormal Romance, Dragons, Certain types of Prehensile Appendages, Magic, Stubborn People, Literal ThinkersFrom the back of the book: "   McKenna Greylock contacts Vivica in desperate need of a jack-of-all-trades handyman to help repair her Victorian bed-and-breakfast. She has a shoestring budget and ninety days to meet the building inspectors approval - or the house will be repossessed and purchased by a duplicitous developer. To McKenna's surprise, Vivica sends the gorgeous Bastian Dragonelli, who not only possesses the speed, strength, and agility to get the job done, but also sets her soul ablaze with a fiery passion she's never experienced before. And if McKenna can accept Bastian's true nature - as a dragon warrior - she'll find her life heating up in more ways than one... "

On a side note, I like book descriptions that end in elipses. It just.. adds a little something extra. Some mystery, some "add in your own thoughts here!" so to speak. And that cover is rather yum-worthy, wouldn't you say? The tattoo is a nice touch, and is actually featured in the story - so not just a randomly added bit of cover image. And I'll admit, I love a man in a tool belt. Especially shirtless. And I know those viewing that small picture can't see it, but Bastian's other tattoo is shown on the cover as well, so kudos to the art designer on this one!

I mentioned earlier that this is my first novel by this author, so I haven't read any of the previous books, which I believe are all set in this world. So that might account for my confusion at the beginning of this book. It wasn't so bad that I didn't want to keep reading, obviously, but I felt like I should know this stuff already, and the quick entrance was more of a refresher course than an explanation. Though now that I've read this one, I do hope to be able to find more by her in the future. And especially read the next one. Because.. well, you know, it says Angel in the title, of course I'm interested.

As for the characters, Bastian was a hoot. English is not his first language (he was a dragon after all), so he takes things extremely literally. And if he doesn't understand a word, his response is "Define [word]." I was amused. And when he finally got a handle on the idea of snark, it was even better. I could generally tell when he was being sarcastic or not, but I did not get the same ease of understanding with McKenna. There were a few times it wasn't until Bastian asked if she was being literal or not that it sunk in that she was being sarcastic. And there were times I was really annoyed with her as a character. I loved that she was strong, and had a goal, and damned if she was going to let a handyman get in the way of her goal... but dang was she stubborn. And there were plenty of times where she would tell herself how much she liked or loved him, and would be biting his head off two seconds later. It was consistant with her type of character, but I think it would have seemed a little more real if her disbelieving comments to him would have softened a little more over time.

And, uh... I think after this book, I'm not sure I will ever look at a "man-lance" the same way again. I won't go into details (because that would be some.. interesting possible spoilers..) but holy cow, it's an interesting read. Seriously people, I suggest picking up this book for the sex scenes alone!! I mean, if you're into that sort of thing.

Well, time for the final verdict! I'm going to rate "Naked Dragon" by Annette Blair a FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). Yes, McKenna drove me nuts to the point of wanting to shake some sense into her, but Bastian more than made up for it. And I liked this author's humor well enough that I do hope to pick up some more books by her in the future.

Have you read "Naked Dragon" or another book by Annette Blair? Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Want to pick up a copy of this book for yourself? Find it at Amazon.com - just follow my link above.

Until next time - Curl up with a good book!
~!~ Morning Glow

Review of "Highland Rogue" by Tess Mallory

Rogues! Highlands! KILTS! Timetravel! It's four things I enjoy wrapped up in one book.

Disclaimer: This book has been borrowed from the reviewer's local library. This book, nor any monetary incentive, was given in exchange for a postive review. This blog is an Amazon Affiliate, so by clicking on the link, the blog owner will earn a (veeery) small percentage of the purchase.

Type: Timetravel, Romance, Scottish Rogues in Kilts, Plenty of Accent-y goodness, Dungeons minus dragons, and Bagpipe Playing Nessie
About the book: "   1711. They call him the Piper. A masked bandit seeking vengeance for his people, Quinn MacIntyre leaves his victims with empty pockets and a haunting tune played on the pipes that once gave him great joy. But when a flame-haired minx stumbles across his path, she awakens a new song in his heart. Now, the outlaw faces a challenge more daunting than the duke's patrols: Letting go of the past and embracing the future. Present day: On her dream vacation in the Scottish Highlands, aspiring archaeologist Maggie Graham discovers a tri-spiral carving on the floor of an ancient cairn and unwittingly sets its dormant magic in motion. Sent tumbling back in time three hundred years, Maggie uncovers the most amazing find of all - a Scottish hero straight out of her wildest fantasies. There are just two tiny problems with this grand adventure: She's trapped in eighteenth-century Scotland, and the man she's fallen for is an outlaw, a thief, a... Highland rogue.   "

Is it just me, or is that cover model on like.. every romance cover imaginable? He's like.. the modern day Fabio. Of course, he's quite handsome, so it's really not a complaint. So! "Highland Rogue"... Well, I was browsing Paperback Swap when I happened upon another book by this author in the "recently posted" category. Of course I had to look her up, it was talking about timetravel! Ever since I read "Outlander" I've been a little over-obsessed with timetravel romances, and I just can't get enough. Luckily, I managed to find some books by Tess Mallory, and "Highland Rogue" hit the spot perfectly!

I loved, loved, loved Maggie. I really identified with her, not so much because of her circumstances - her parents died, and she took over raising her younger sisters, but now that they're all grown up, she can finally do some living for herself - but because of her obsession with Scotland. If one were to look at any mp3 player, or playlist I have.. they'd notice the overabundance of Scottish, Irish, and generally Celtic music. I'll admit it, I even love Bagpipes. And Maggie was definitely a modern woman, and ready to take the time for herself. If only I could happen upon what she did and find myself a nice Scottish Highwayman...

Speaking of that, Quinn is absolutely delicious. Most romance readers fall for the bad guy who isn't really bad, the tortured hero, that sort of thing. And how tortured Quinn is. Because of a mistake, Quinn's best friend Ian is shot and captured - maybe he's dead, maybe he isn't. And if he's still alive, Quinn will do anything to save him. Even if that means continuing his raids on rich English travelers, without the aid of his partner. And now he has Maggie to deal with, and what a distraction she is.

All that said, I'm giving "Highland Rogue" by Tess Mallory a FIVE out of FIVE (5/5). I enjoyed the characters, the plot, and I can't wait to check out more by this author. If you're a fan of time travel romance, and sexy sexy Scottish Rogues, you'll love "Highland Rogue" by Tess Mallory.

Already read it? Tell me your thoughts in the comments! Want to check it out? Find it at Amazon.com!


Now, go curl up with a good book!
~!~ Morning Glow

Review of "A Kiss Before the Apocalypse" by Thomas E. Sniegoski

ANGELS! Fallen and otherwise! Not to mention an author I love. For those of you sick of my angel obsession, feel free to blame Thomas E. Sniegoski.

Disclaimer: This book was not given to me in exchange for a review, nor have I been given any monetary incentive to write a positive review. I am, however, an Amazon Affiliate. By clicking on the link below, I will earn a (very) small percentage.

Type: Fiction, Fantasy, Series, ANGELS!!, Private Investigator, The end of the world
From the back of the book: "  Boston P.I. Remy Chandler has many talents. He can will himself invisible, he can speak and understand any foreign language (including the language of animals), and if he listens carefully, he can hear thoughts.
Unusual, to say the least - for an ordinary man. But Remy is no ordinary man - he's an angel. Generations ago, he chose to renounce heaven and live on Earth. He's found a place among us ordinary humans; friendship, a job he's good at - and love.
Now he is being drawn into a case with strong ties to his angelic past. The Angel of Death has gone missing - and Remy's former colleagues have come to him for help. But what at first seems to be about tracing a missing person turns out to involve much more - a conspiracy that has as its goal the destruction of the human race.
And only Remy Chandler, formerly known as the angel Remiel, can stop it.  "

I said it before, but I'll say it again - ANGELS! This author wow-ed me with his "Fallen" series, and he's at it again with the Remy Chandler series. Remy has left heaven to live amongst the humans. Since he didn't fall, and actually just created a human persona for himself, Remy's two natures - human and angelic - are constantly fighting throughout this book. And he needs to take strength from both sides if he's going to stop the apocalypse. There is so much emotional conflict in this one book alone. Remy knows he needs to find the Angel of Death and bring him back, and stop the end of the world from happening, but at the same time, can he deal with the fact that the Death Angel will have to take his elderly, and sick, wife when he returns?

Remy is a fascinating character, but he's one of many. We have the Grigori - The Watchers - who just can't seem to stop enjoying themselves (music, parties, and sex included), Francis - who now guards Earth from any wayward fallen angels, and even Lazarus. I was instantly a little fascinated by Lazarus, since he is the one from biblical legend. He was called back from Death, and was never able to die again afterwards, no matter how much he tried. And I can't forget Marlowe, Remy's dog, who is just the sweetest thing ever. Even knowing how dangerous things can be, Marlowe doesn't want to leave Remy to face it alone.

"A Kiss Before the Apocalypse" had such a dynamic cast of characters, and such a complex plot, there's no way I could go into it all. The story was well done, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series. Once again, author Thomas E. Sniegoski did not disappoint. Thank goodness I have the rest of the series so I can continue reading them. Whew. I'm going to give "A Kiss Before the Apocalypse" by Sniegoski a FIVE out of FIVE (5/5). It had a wonderful story, and even better characters. I can't wait to read the rest of the series to see how the events of this book effected his life.

Have you read it? Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Want to read it? Find it at Amazon.com!


Until next time..

~!~ Morning Glow

CSN Stores - I'm in love!

By now, we've all heard of the epic awesome that is CSNstores.com. They have EVERYTHING! Stuff for dining rooms ( kitchen tables ), offices (probably my favorite!), all the way down to pet furniture! Despite the fact that my dogs have way more snuggly places than they should - my one dog doesn't have a bed so much as a throne - I've spend hours looking at all the different pet beds, pet couches, bowls, etc. Not to mention the bookcases! I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate to CSNstores.com some months ago, and I got this little gem..



Free shipping, it arrived in no time, and it was almost too easy to put together! I love it. It's currently sitting at the end of my bed, holding some of my library books that I need to get through. Along with.. everything else I could fit on the shelves. I've already had my eye on several other bookcases and... well everything. They even had some wonderful office supplies... I'm a total sucker for office supplies. Back to school time is like heaven for me, heehee.

Have a wonderful Monday! Or as good as Monday can get.
~!~ Morning Glow