MM Romance Book Giveaway!!

Good morning all! I have been trying to make room on my book shelves for new books but the fact is my shelves are bulging and there just isn't any more room to stuff more books. I finally sat down and started sorting through the piles crammed into my shelves and came to the conclusion that I just have to get rid of some books.

Once I had resigned myself to that fact I then had to decide what to do with them and I knew I wanted to share them with my blog followers (that's you!). So over the next few weeks I will be giving away assorted books from my book shelves. They are all in very good shape, probably only read once.

To kick things off I am giving away 5 M/M romance books to one blog follower in the U.S. or Canada.

Male of the Species - by Kate Steele
Synopsis: Devin Grant is an alpha on a mission. Rejected by his pack for refusing to believe that one man loving another is wrong, Devin finds himself alone and directionless until a chance meeting with fellow outcast Quinn Alexander starts him on the path to forming his own pack. With Quinn's experience and his own needs guiding him, Devin fights to make their pack dream a reality. Along the way, he makes an enemy the unscrupulous leader of a black arts coven and unexpectedly finds his mate, human Ryan Mitchell. With strength and courage, Devin works to win his mate and build his pack until a stunning betrayal threatens to cost Devin not only his mate...but his humanity.

***

Switch - by Claire Thompson
Synopsis: Dane is reigning king in the Austin BDSM scene. Nathan sees beyond Dane's swaggering persona to the hidden submissive beneath. Can Nathan convince Dane of his place at his feet? As the two come together, the sexual sparks fly. It's only a matter of time before a spark catches and bursts into flame.

***

Frost Fair - by Erastes
Synopsis: In 1814, the River Thames froze solid in one of the coldest winters on record; tradesmen and society all flocked to the Frost Fair - the last ever to be held on the ice. Against this chilly backdrop, the printer, engraver and fiercely independent Gideon Frost struggles; not only to keep his business afloat, selling his body to men when he must, but also to hide his growing attraction to a wealthy customer: the gentleman Joshua Redfern. Redfern is a man out of Gideon's class and very much out of his reach.
When disaster strikes, Gideon is forced to make a decision which will affect his future: will he choose love, or independence? Frost Fair evokes a bitterly cold London winter as Gideon tries to find the heat of love in his heart and his life.

***

Polar Reaction - by Claire Thompson
Synopsis: A passion hot enough to melt a glacier. A love that shakes them to the core…
The savage Antarctic winter is closing in, and three research scientists are scheduled for the last flight out—until an unexpected blizzard traps all three of them in the compound. There’s Tuck, who only joined the project to be close to sexy-but-straight Brendan, the man of his dreams. And Jamie, who has always admired the other two from afar.
Thrown into a dangerous situation, the three of them turn to each other for survival, solace…and more. As Brendan overcomes his confusion over his impulses, the trio begin a sexual exploration that explodes into passion and unbridled lust.
Yet once the rescue helicopter airlifts them to safety, Brendan comes to his senses, returning home to his carefully constructed, closeted life. But there’s a Brendan-shaped hole left behind in Tuck’s and Jamie’s hearts. There’s only one way to fill it—by breaking through Brendan’s reserve to reclaim the man they both love.
Warning: Dangerously hot m/m/m ménage sex will melt the layers of ice and snow keeping three sexy scientist prisoners on the edge of the world. Peek through your fingers at scorching sex between three men—the possibilities are endless!

***

Tri-Omega Mates (Volume #1) - by Stormy Glenn
(Two books in one)
Synopsis: SECRET DESIRES [Siren Menage Amour 17: Paranormal Menage a Trois Romance, M/M/M, Werewolves] How do you answer a handsome cowboy when he asks if you want to take a ride on his horse, especially when he guarantees that it will be a wild ride? For Leyland the answer is simple: Hell, yes! But what if his cowboy already has a lover?

FORBIDDEN DESIRES [Siren Menage Amour 26: Paranormal Menage a Trois Romance, M/M/M, Werewolves] Gregory had been waiting for over six years for Ryland to grow up so that he can claim him. When he finally does claim him, Gregory learns that by doing so, he has endangered Ryland's life. Ryland is a Tri-Omega and needs two mates to keep him grounded and safe. And he hasn't found his other mate yet.

***

OK! So those are the five books I am giving away from my keeper shelf.

This giveaway is open to all U.S. & Canadian followers of my blog.

Please leave an email address in the comments so I can contact you & spread the word - more giveaways will follow in the weeks to come.

This giveaway will close on May 7 at noon EST.

"Dead as a Doornail" by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series Bk#5)

Title: "Dead as a Doornail"
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series Bk#5
Published: 2005 Hardcover/2006 Paperback
Genre: Fantasy/mystery + romance
Pages: 295

Synopsis: "When Sookie's brother Jason's eyes start to change, she knows he's about to turn into a were-panther for the first time. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population-and Jason's new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who's behind the attacks, unless the killer decides to find her first."

As with all the books in the series, this book takes up exactly where the last book ended (I adore that about this series). The full moon is approaching and Sookie is a nervous wreck - not for herself but for her brother Jason who in the last book was bitten by a were-panther. The full moon would be the test to see if Jason has become one of the supernatural beings or not.

But that isn't Sookie's biggest concern - nope. Someone is shooting Weres and Shapeshifters and that someone has also decided to target Sookie because of her close ties with the supernatural beings. On top of that drama...Sookie has several males that show their interest in her while her ex vampire boyfriend Bill is busy doing his best to make Sookie miserable. He knows just how to hurt her and continues to pour salt into that open wound. If you were undecided about your feelings for Bill prior to this book, this book should make you hate him- I would think.

The action and mystery are none stop in this book with lots of twists and surprises- and more sexy Viking vampire Eric who is still trying to find out what happened between him and Sookie while his memory was gone. When Sookie needs help she turns to Eric, who names his price - tell all- and Sookie doesn't hold back. She tells Eric everything that happened between them. While Eric is finally relieved to finally know what happened during those days with Sookie, he's now trouble with just why is it that Sookie means so much to him when vampires don't care about humans at all? That's something he contemplates for several more books!

Another great book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

I give it 5 stars out of 5 stars.

I re-read this book for the following reading challenge:

**Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge**

"Dead to the World" by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series Bk#4)

Title: "Dead to the World"
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series Bk#4
Published: 2004 hardcover/2005 paperback
Genre: Fantasy/mystery + romance
Pages: 291


Synopsis: "When cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a naked man on the side of the road, she doesn't just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn't a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It's Eric the vampire--but now he's a kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now wants his life."


This was the book blurb that had me buying the entire Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series last spring. And to date, this is still my very favorite of the entire series because there is just so much of Eric and so little of Bill!

Re-reading "Dead to the World" was like slipping into comfy pj's and curling up in an overstuffed chair on a rainy day with a steaming cup of tea and a good book (in this case "Dead to the World") - blissful delight. And in fact that is exactly what I did because it was a rainy day and I had the day off!

Sookie has kicked cheating low life Vampire Bill to the curb and is trying to get her life together while mending her broken heart. The last thing she wants or needs is to be placed in the position of keeping vampire Viking Eric safe from wicked witches - really wicked witches! But Eric is too helpless and needy at the moment for her to refuse. The arrogant, demanding and bossy Eric she's always known is gone for the moment along with his memories. In his place is a fearful, kind, considerate and loyal Eric - who is sexy as hell and soon charms Sookie with his kindness and honesty - not traits Eric has ever had before.

These two burst into flames together and share an amazing romance, but Sookie knows once Eric has his memory back everything will change- and it does. Only once Eric is back to his normal arrogant self, he can't remember any of the time he spent with Sookie. It's driving him crazy, he wants to know what they shared, if they had sex and how was that sex if they did, but Sookie's not saying a word much to Eric's frustration. But he's hooked. He's got Sookie in his sights and he's not going to let her go if he can help it.

Simply put: This book is to die for! It has it all.

Easy 5 stars out of 5 stars.

I re-read this book for the following reading challenge:

**Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge**

"Club Dead" by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series Bk#3)

Title: "Club Dead"

Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series Bk#3
Published: 2003
Genre: Fantasy/mystery + romance
Pages: 292

Synopsis: Sookie's boyfriend has been very distant-in another state, distant. Now she's off to Mississippi to mingle with the underworld at Club Dead-a little haunt where the vampire elite go to chill out. But when she finally finds Bill-caught in an act of betrayal-she's not sure whether to save him...or sharpen some stakes.


I am loving re-reading the entire Sookie Stackhouse series in anticipation of the release of the next book in the series "Dead in the Family". "Club Dead" was one of my very, very favorites in the series because it exposed Vampire Bill for the dog he is (never liked Sookie with him) and plows the way for vampire Viking Eric to make his move in the following book "Dead to the World" (one of the best books in the entire series of phenomenal books).

In this book Sookie takes a lot of risks to hunt down her cheating vampire boyfriend Bill. His betrayal has nearly destroyed her, but she's not so angry as to let Bill suffer the final death and no longer exist on earth. With the help of some vampires, werewolves and shape shifters Sookie embarks on an adventure that nearly gets her killed and also ends up tying her closer to vampire Eric.

Once again Charlaine Harris has turned out an OUTSTANDING book that I highly recommend to fans of all things supernatural. This series has it all, well developed enchanting characters, mystery & romance plots twisted together in a supernatural story set in the present day South. There is nothing not to like about this series - it's all wonderful. But it is a series that should be read IN ORDER because each new book starts exactly where the previous one ends and each book grows from the previous books to reveal more of it's characters and the deep layers within them.

Easy 5 stars out of 5 stars for this one.

I re-read this book for the following reading challenge:

**Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge**

"Living Dead in Dallas" by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series Bk#2)

Title: "Living Dead in Dallas"
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Series Bk#2
Published: 2002
Genre: Fantasy/mystery + romance
Pages: 291

Synopsis: "Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of bad luck. First, her coworker is murdered and no one seems to care. Then she's face-to-face with a beastly creature that gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it).
Point is, they saved her life. So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favor, she complies. And soon, Sookie's in Dallas using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She's supposed to interview certain humans involved. There's just one condition: The vampires must promise to behave- and let the humans go unharmed. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly..."


This is my second time reading "Living Dead in Dallas" and I have to say I enjoyed tremendously! There is more sex and more twists in this book than the first while giving is a deeper knowledge of all the characters (and a few new ones) from the first book.

But of course, my favorite parts of the book are all the ones surrounding that bad Viking vampire Eric. He's got his eye on Sookie and he goes after her while doing his best to stick to vampire code and not cross Bill (Sookie's vampire boyfriend). If Sookie will just give up Bill, Eric would snap her up in a heartbeat - hers, since he doesn't have one! But Sookie sticks with Bill and things go up in flames when jealously comes into play.

I love this book because this is the one the really opens up the paranormal world in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Sookie finds out there are more supernatural beings in the world than she first assumed - she also discovers just how organized they are and how far their connections to each other reach all under the blind eyes of the humans.

Terrific book and superb series. I can not recommend this series highly enough! It's a MUST READ people! Read it, you're gonna love it!

4.5 Stars

I re-read this book for the following reading challenge:

**Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge**

Eclipse Movie Trailer- NEW!!

First thoughts: I am not liking Jacobs hair combed over - spiky is cuter. And the makeup for the vampires looks like it did in "Twilight" (I personally thought New Moon was MUCH better).

"Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse series Bk#1)

Title: "Dead Until Dark"
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series Bk#1
Published: 2001
Genre: Fantasy/Mystery + romance
Pages: 292

Synopsis: "Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability". She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome- and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life...
But Bill has a disability of his own. He's a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of- big surprise-murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next..."


**Re-read Challenge**

This is my second time reading "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris and while it didn't have the same thrill of discovery as reading a book for the first time, it still managed to captive me while making me fall in love with the characters all over again. That's what makes this series a shelf keeper for me.

This is the book that kicks the series off and introduces us to the fangtasic world were present day America meets the reality that all those scary things that go bump in the night are in fact real and not a myth.

Sookie is a sweet southern girl who lives with her grandmother in Louisiana. Because she can read the minds of people around her, dating is out of the question- she's tried that and it never works. That is until she meets and begins to date the undead. Vampire Bill comes to town- or I should say comes back to town since he lived in the area during the Civil War when he used to be human. Now he's back and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. Add that major attraction factor to Bill's good looks and Sookie can't seem to help being drawn to him.

While Bill and Sookie are working their way through a first romance, there is a murderer running loose in town killing off people Sookie knows- and half the women Sookie's brother Jason has slept with. The police are looking at Jason as a suspect, some are looking at the vampires in town and Sookie is reading every one's minds around her to find the real killer and free her brother from suspicion.

Phenomenal series that I highly recommend to vampire fans.

Rating: 4 stars

This book was re-read for the following reading challenges...

** Re-read Challenge 2010 **

**Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge**

"Megan's Mark" by Lora Leigh

Title: "Megan's Mark"

Author: Lora Leigh
Series: Feline Breeds (book #7 according to L.Leigh's website)

Published: 2006
Genre: Erotic Romance

Synopsis: "Cursed with the extraordinary power to feel other peoples’ emotions, Megan Fields has tucked herself away in a remote corner of New Mexico, working as a small-town sheriff’s deputy. She finds solace in the silence and heat of the desert. But when Breeds begin dying on her watch, Megan realizes that the secrets from her past can’t stay buried forever. Someone is out for blood - her blood. An arrogant Feline Breed, Braden Arness broods with feral intensity. His mission to solve the mysterious murders brings him to Megan, a woman who accosts his senses like no other. Only with him can she let down her guard - and surrender to the insatiable hunger that wracks her body. But as they team up to hunt the elusive killers, Braden and Megan find themselves becoming the prey…"

I've read this books in a crazy order- as the book order is different on numerous book lists. Anyway, I am going by Lora Leigh's website that lists this book as the 7th book in the "Breeds" series, but the 2nd LION Breed book (I get brain cramps trying to keep them all straight sometimes).

This book confused me at first because it's an "early" book (2nd Lion Breed) yet it takes place far off in the future - the year 2023, yet all the other Breed books I've read took place in present day (including "Soul Deep" which is book #5 and still holds as my all time favorite Breed book). So that completely threw me off as I wasn't expecting that. Aside from that, the romance was good and the sex was HOT, HOT, HOT.

Megan was likable and had an interesting 'gift'- or as she calls it 'curse'. She's an Empath- she can feel the emotions of everyone around her. Braden, the lion breed hybrid man, is a shield. Together they compliment each other and work well as law enforcers in the future (complete with weird future cars and weapons). Both are adrenaline junkies who live for adventure.

Braden was typical Lora Leigh male - all alpha and completely dominating and pushy while being drop dead sexy gorgeous- so we all forgive him for being an ass sometimes. *grins* As with her other Breeds books, Braden is well endowed and has the barbed penis- which shocks both Braden and Megan when that makes its first appearance. He thinks its weird, she thinks its fantastic!

Together they fall in love and work to figure out who is trying to kill Megan and why all the while discovering more about what it means to be a Breed and a Breed's Mate.

A fun, steamy erotic romance- good but not great. I give it 3.5 stars.

**2010 Reading Romance Challenge**

"Destined for an Early Grave" by Jeanine Frost

Title: "Destined for an Early Grave"
Author: Jeanine Frost
Series: A Night Huntress Novel #4
Published: 2009
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Synopsis: "Her deadly dreams leave her in grave danger
Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about.
Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave."

This is my favorite urban fantasy series because of the phenomenal writing, amazing world creation and outstanding character development that leaves you feeling like you actually know the characters in the story. I just love when that happens and Jeanine Frost is a master when it comes to wonderful characters that stay with you long after you've finished reading her books.

All that said, this 4th book in the series was a bit of a disappointment. If you haven't read the first three books, stop reading my review because while I am going to be as subtle as I can (which probably isn't very subtle at all!), I will mention some things that happen in this installment that I didn't care for.

In this book, Bones and his "Kitten" Cat go through a very hard time. I didn't mind the fighting or separation between these two even though my heart was breaking for both of them. What I did very much mind was the two huge changes this novel had in it- one for Cat's mother and the other for Cat herself. While I could see the need for it with Cat's mother, Karma and all that. I did not see the need for Cat's change at all. I liked her how she was and since the 3rd book dealt a great deal in why Cat never needed this change, I thought this book basically tossed out about ten chapters of the third book ("At Graves End"). In other words, made it a waste and I really didn't like that since I adored the story in book three very much. I think that one tied everything together perfectly and this book unraveled it all and retold the story.

The other thing I didn't like was the dominate plot of this story - that Cat was previously married and had no memory of it and Bones was clueless about it all too. Reading this I sort of felt like I did years ago watching the TV show "Dallas" when "Bobby" came back to life and one entire year of the show was nothing more than a dream sequence! Where the first wonderful books of the series nothing but a dream with voids punched in them?

The writing was still wonderful, the characters still engaging (I especially adored Vlad, AKA Dracula in this book)...but the main story line was off. It just screamed off the pages that it was all wrong and I kept thinking "PLEASE don't do this to them!"

I give this book 3 stars for the writing & characters, not for the plot. While I fully intend to re-read the first three books in this series many times, sadly I don't believe I will ever re-read this one. The changes were too hard to accept.

Time of change...

Hi all! I hope everyone had a nice weekend, I did. After all the rain that has been pounding the East Coast lately we ended up with lots of sunshine and warm weather - it was very welcomed!

With the nice weather comes a backing off of reading for a while - at least with me. I just can't seem to pick up a book when I am itching to do something outside like dig in my flowerbeds or take a walk or jump in the car and go for a scenic ride somewhere. So for now, I am going to back off on blogging a bit. Instead of daily blogging, I will probably only blog once or twice a week for now. When the spring rains come or the stiffling heat and humidity of summer send me running for the indoors and some air conditioned rooms, I will get back to reading more and posting more reviews. For now, things are going to slow down online and speed up in the great outdoors.

I may not be commenting on everyone's blogs as I am cutting back on online time, but I WILL be reading blogs on Google Reader as often as I can. And my email is always open, I check that daily.

Fan's of "Sons of Anarchy" actor Charlie Hunnam?? Like all things Vlad- Dracula inspired?? Check out this article about a new production Hunnam has doing with Summit Entertainment about Dracula...

"Like his onscreen character of Jax, Charlie Hunnam manages to get his way, at least some of the time. A personal pet project called ‘Vlad’ appears to be in production. Reportedly, Hunnam wrote and sold the film to Summit Entertainment with Eric Feig and Plan B producing it."
“It’s based on the true story of Vlad the Impaler, Charlie explains, “You know the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a 15th century king living in Wallachia, which is one of the principalities of present day Romania. And it’s all about the Last Crusade and him opposing the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.”

So with that...I leave you for now.

Son, you're NOT a single lady *bawling starts*

Have you seen like Losiah?? The single lady wanna be and his Dad who squashes his dream of being a single lady?? (too damn cute!)


OMG! Too funny - great Dad recovery. *grins* A short article on this Dad and his cute little(not a single lady) son Losiah can be read HERE.