3 days...22 1/2 hours reading...

I didn't do too bad with this. 

The goal was to read 24 total hours in 3 days. 

I ended up making it to 22 1/2 hours before I finally caved in and went to bed :) Soooo close!

 Danielle and Ava over at Romance Book Junkies did a great job hosting the read-a-thon and I had a blast with it! 

I knocked these four off the TBR pile!

   

And started working on...

 

Have you ever joined in on a read-a-thon? 
How'd ya do?

Sexy September? What were your Hot Reads?

Hot Reads is a Monthly Meme hosted by

  Book Savvy Babe to share the hottest reads of the month!  It can be any book you read this month that raised your temp or made you squirm. Hot cover, yummy characters or scene.... Join in and share your sexy reads and find some new ones!

I started the month of with some seriously HOT Reads. Just thinking about them makes me grin :)  The rest of the month my reads were pretty tame though. And it's about to do me in. lol. I'm in desperate need of a steamy read ;) I'd love to hear yall's suggestions so feel free to leave a comment :)

No question. My hottest read for September was Cherise Sinclair's My Liege of Dark Haven. Sweet. Mary. Love this woman's Doms and Xavier was so damn good. From the drool-worthy cover to the last page this one was just scorching hot and sexy as hell. Cherise even managed to make a bit of chemical play (yikes!) kinda hot. 

18 & Over- A little bit of random...

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that begins on Fridays and runs through the weekend, hosted by Crystal from Reading Between the Wines. This is a Friday blog hop with the objective to find and visit other book blogs that share the same interest as you, namely books geared towards the 18 & over crowd, and make some new friends!

This week...

Pick up your current book, turn to a random page, and jot down the first few sentences that pop out at you. 

Make sure to share the author & title of the book with everyone!

The blazer fishtailed before the chains caught and gave him traction. It took a long time for his heart to stop pounding.  

He climbed out of the truck, pointed at the wolf. "Do you know how dumb that was?" 

Probably not any less dumb than talking to an animal. And definitely not as stupid as feeling chastised when it gave him a look, then trotted a few yards up the highway.

From the Under Her Skin anthology pg 117 (Meljean Brook's novella). It was my favorite of the three novellas too :)

*These three were also in the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance just in case yall have that!*

Alright, what's your little bit of reading randomness? 

Friday Finds: FREE/SALE Priced Books!

Alright dearlings. 
We've got a couple finds for you this week that are *free* or on sale. 

Some are active only a couple days so double check those prices before you click buy.

Are you picking any of these up? 

Have you read any of them? 
We'll keep posting them as long as yall keep wanting them so let us know :)

Check out this week's books after the jump... 

Dirty Little Secrets...the new arrivals!

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by the ladies over at Under the Covers.

Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets.

Click on the button to join in or if you don't have a blog join in on the comments!

We wanna here from you too!

This week's question: 

With all the great releases out this month, which has been the one you have clicked up first?

And which has surprised you the most?

There were two I was just dying to read....Run the Risk by Lori Foster and All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey. LOVE these women! 

Yeah, Run the Risk really wasn't much of a surprise. I love Lori Foster and am almost never disappointed by her. The only one I haven't liked of hers was when she threw a random fantasy/time travel into a nonPNR series. But this one? Loved it. And can't wait for the next in the series :)


My big surprise was All He Ever Needed. The Kowalski family is one of my faves but this one was just an absolute dud. Like, struggling to even be 2 stars. I really didn't like much of anything about the book and have a really hard time believing the same woman wrote it as the first 3 in the series. Huge freaking surprise that broke my heart quite a bit.


So what about you? What were you looking forward to? 
And good surprises?  

Cat Thursday: I haz a hungry...you fixes it...

Welcome to the weekly meme hosted by The True Book Addict that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! 

Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! 

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Oh my goodness this is my herd this week! 

They've joined forces to drive their momma up a wall. 

Herd baby Gladys, especially, has decided it is her mission in life to "help" me on the laptop by dramatically tossing herself across the keyboard and accidentally deleting entire posts I'm working on. 

I luvs her! ;) 

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If yall haven't seen this yet...we had a follower send us the link to Miss Mousie's page last week. She's a sweet older kitty being fostered up in Washington that's in need of surgery. There's a bunch of authors and their kitties posts supporting her cause. It's a non-profit as well. So go check her out. She's a darling girl and just had her birthday :)

Romance Book Junkies Read-a-thon! Sept 27-29!

Alright! We just joined in on our first Read-A-Thon! So excited :) 

It's being hosted by Danielle over at Romance Book Junkies. 

It's her first time hosting and she's set up a great couple of days with contests and all kinds of goodies!

The big goal is to read for 24 total hours from September 27th to 29th! Love it! 

Interested in joining up? Hope over to their site and find out how!

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So. My schedule. ::snort:: I'm not even gonna pretend like I have a plan. <g>

Character Interview (Blood Moon Series) & Excerpt by Robin P. Waldrop

Shadow of the Blood Moon (Blood Moon Series book #2)

Genevieve Labreck is back with a score to settle. Her mom has been kidnapped by Zane, hybrid and all-around monster.  Rumors fly that Gen’s mom is holed away in Prague, a city recognized by humans for its serene beauty and intense culture, but Gen and Will know something humans don’t. Prague is haunted by dark, evil forces.

Can Genevieve and William save her mom, or will they be too late?

Some will live, others will fall. At what price do you walk away from those you love?

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Hey everybody! We've got Genevieve, the main character from Ties to the Blood Moon, here on the blog today to talk to us about her life, her new destiny and, what ifs!


If you could be a normal teenager without a predetermined destiny, would you take that chance or stay the way you are?

I’ve thought about that and know what I would do. I would have to say stay the way I am. Exactly the way I am…and I won’t say why.

Spill it girl who are you really more attracted to? William or Joseph?

That’s hard to say without spoilers. But what I will say is they both are drop dead gorgeous and any girl would be lucky to have either one.

What’s your idea of a great date??

Guest Post w/ Katalina Leon + giveaway!

Hey all! Please give a nice welcome to Katalina who is joining us at herding cats & burning soup today with a lovely guest post and excerpt from her book The Strix. 

Don't forget to leave her a comment to enter the giveaway!

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I’m Katalina Leon and I want to introduce you to “The Strix” book one in the Bag Of Tricks book series co-authored with Amber Skyze.

This is the short Blurb:
“After drawing a piece of amber from a witch's wish bag, Arcona awakens to a past life as a vengeful Celtic witch - a Strix, who used blood and sex magic to get her way. She turned the gladiator Tyr into a bloodthirsty Slayer. Now Tyr wants his revenge…”

That’s how The Strix starts but it soon gets so much more complicated. The Strix explores a few of my favorite themes chiefly that love is bonding and eternal, and we have lived before.

I feel deeply drawn to the age of the Roman Empire and all the drama it provides so this was a thread I found irresistible to follow.

The Strix is a vampire tale of enchantment gone terribly wrong but it’s also a story of redemption and connecting with our better angels. I loved that this story allowed me to write one woman’s two very different experiences, in two very different time periods with the same man.

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Excerpt & Giveaway after the jump... 

Seduced by Blood (Sweet Blood #4) by Laurie London

Hot-blooded and hard-edged, Tristan Santiago has an uncanny ability to see beneath the surface—a skill that serves him well as the Guardians' region commander. But when a deadly plot against his fellow vampires is uncovered, he must turn to the one woman he can't read: the beautiful yet mysterious Roxanne Reynolds, whose sensual presence soothes his tormented memories.

Roxy had put love before duty once before, with devastating results. But to root out a dangerous traitor in their midst, she must put her faith in Santiago, the one man skilled enough to break through her defenses. Posing as lovers, Santiago and Roxy work side by side—and discover a powerful craving that threatens to consume them both….

Type: Paranormal Romance/Suspense, Vampires
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Best read in order?: Yes! I spent a lot of time playing catch up. 

::shiver:: There's absolutely nothing like that first taste of a new world and the moment when you realize you've found something special. Where you feel just a little giddy and excited over finding a new group of characters you know you'll fall in love with and that will steal a little bit of your heart. Seduced by Blood was one of those lovely moments for me. This was my first time reading Laurie London and it most definitely will not be the last.

Tasty Tuesday: Cauliflower w/ Cheese Sauce

Cauliflower w/ Cheese Sauce

Alright so not the most photographic of Tasty Tuesday's but it was still rather yummy! :)

Check out the recipe after the jump...

Binding Arbitration by Elizabeth Marx + giveaway

Through the corridors of the Windy City’s criminal courts, single mother Libby Tucker knows exactly how far she’ll go to save her cancer-stricken son’s life. The undefeated defense attorney is prepared to take her fight all the way to the majors.

Circumstances force Libby to plead her case at the cleats of celebrity baseball player Banford Aidan Palowski, the man who discarded her at their college graduation. Libby has worked her backside bare for everything she’s attained, while Aidan has been indulged since he slid through the birth canal and landed in a pile of Gold Coast money. But helping Libby and living up to his biological duty could jeopardize the only thing the jock worships: his baseball career.

Type: Romance, Family Saga, Contemporary/Chick Lit, 1st person (switches off between hero/heroine but well labeled & nicely done)

Publisher: Self Published, ebook/paper, 477 pages

Heat: 2 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

Binding Arbitration was one of those books that did a total number on me. Oh man, it was not a pretty sight. I spent most of my Sunday afternoon an absolute blubbering mess. I'd pull myself back together, read a couple pages and burst out in tears all over again. Marx did a fantastic job of getting this reader to really feel everything her hero and heroine were going through. I was angry, and frustrated, had my heart broken and mended right along with Aiden and Libby as they struggled to deal with a painful past and going through any parent's greatest fear. Their journey was gut wrenching and heart warming all at the same time and will no doubt have you reaching for the tissues.

Early Review: An Outlaw's Christmas by Linda Lael Miller

With his wild heart, Sawyer McKettrick isn't ready to settle down on the Triple M family ranch in Arizona. So he heads to Blue River, Texas, to seek a job as marshal. But in a blinding snowstorm he's injured—and collapses into the arms of a prim and proper lady in calico.The shirtless, bandaged stranger recuperating in teacher Piper St. James's room behind the schoolhouse says he's a McKettrick, but he looks like an outlaw. As they wait out the storm, the handsome loner has Piper remembering long-ago dreams of marriage and motherhood. But for how long is Sawyer willing to call Blue River home?

As the gray skies clear, Piper's one holiday wish just might bring two lonely hearts together forever.

Type:  Romance, slight Historical 1915, Christmas
Heat: 2.5 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5
Release Date: September 25, 2012

Oh I liked this. An Outlaw's Christmas was one of those books that I immediately felt comfortable with. It's just a sweet story and the writing flows so easily. This was my first time reading Linda Lael Miller and I may just have to stalk her now. And...um...by stalk I mean, wave nicely from WAY over here as I devour everything she's ever written. <g>

Friday Finds! *FREE*/Reduced Price Reads!

A couple *FREE* or Reduced Reads for you guys!

Prices were current at the time this post went live.
But make sure you double check prices before you click "buy" just in case the sale has ended.

Are yall interested in more of these posts? Every week or so with different books that are Free or on Sale? Let me know and I'll keep doing them :)

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Masters at Arms begins the journey of three men, each on a quest for honor, acceptance, and to ease his unspoken pain. Their paths cross at one of the darkest points in their lives. As they try to come to terms with the aftermath--forging an unbreakable bond--will they ever truly become masters of their own fates? Or would fate become masters of them? (Book One in the Rescue Me series about the men who own the Masters at Arms BDSM Club.) 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is an introduction to the series, but does NOT have the Happily Ever After endings that will come in the next three romance novels in the series. Being the back-story that usually is not told in "real time," there are some intense themes in the book, including death of a spouse, incest, torture, a battle scene, and amputation.

*FREE*   Amazon    Barnes&Noble  (Series Introduction-First in Series)

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An angel trapped in Hell for centuries, Apollyon is tired of guarding the Devil. He longs to break free and feel the wind in his feathers, but he cannot leave the endless darkness without permission from above. When he senses someone calling him, he seizes his chance for freedom, but soon discovers the call came from a beautiful woman he has watched over from Hell, a woman who casts a spell on him and awakens the darkest desires of his heart.

Serenity is shocked when a wickedly sensual black-winged angel shows up in her city of Paris claiming that she called him when she was only casting a simple vengeance spell. He's no other than the angel of death! When the lethally handsome warrior offers to obey her and give her revenge, Serenity can't resist the temptation, but can she resist the forbidden hungers the dark angel stirs in her?

*FREE*   Amazon  (Novella-First in Series)

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As a child, Amarrah loved her grandmother’s stories of three witches who were members of the king’s harem—but they were more than just stories. Amarrah knew she had been there with them…and now their legacy, along with an ancient box that once belonged to them, lies in her hands.

Charged with keeping the box safe, Amarrah is heartbroken when it is stolen from her while she moves to America. Years later, she is shocked to see it on TV and is determined to get it back. Tracking the artifact leads her to Sergeant Harrison Brockson, a handsome soldier who stirs memories of a man she knew centuries ago in ancient Babylon. Is Harrison the key to finding the box—or could he be her destiny?

*FREE*  Amazon    Barnes&Noble   (Novella-First in Series)

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This one's not FREE but REDUCED to $2.99 until 10/1/12


Tristan, the Duke of Shelbourne is a man with a mission: find a wife he can tolerate as long as they both shall live. Love is not necessary--nor desired. But how to choose among a dizzying array of wealthy-yet-witless candidates? Hire London's infamously prim and proper matchmaker. Then pretend she's not the most captivating woman he's ever met...

Helping a devilish Duke create a contest to pick his perfect mate is the kind of challenge Tessa Mansfield relishes. Her methods may be scandalous, but she's determined to find the notorious bachelor more than a wife--she'll bring him true love. Yet when Tessa watches the women vie for the Duke's affections, she longs to win his heart herself. And after a stolen kiss confirms Tristan's desire, Tessa knows she has broken a matchmaker's number one rule: never fall in love with the groom

*Reduced to $2.99* Amazon    Barnes&Noble   (Full length novel- First in Series)

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Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career--if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes--and mouth--are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.

*Only 99cents!*  Amazon   Barnes&Noble   (Full length novel-First in Series!)

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Georgeanne Howard leaves her fiance at the altar when she realizes she can't marry a man old enough to be her grandfather, no matter how rich he is. Hockey superstar John Kowalsky unknowingly helps her escape, and only when it's too late does he realize that he's absconded with his boss's bride. This bad boy isn't looking to be anybody's savior but his own. Still, a long night stretches ahead of them--a night too sultry to resist temptation.

Seven years later, Georgeanne and John meet again. She is on her way to becoming Seattle's domestic darling and he is past his hellraising days. Shocked to learn that he has a daughter, John's determined to be part of her life. Georgeanne has loved John since the moment she jumped into his car, but will he risk the wrath of his boss, and one final chance at glory, to prove that this time his love will be everlasting?

*Only 99cents!*   Amazon    Barnes&Noble  (Full length novel-First in Series!)

Naughty or Nice Giveaway Hop!

Thanks to Nat from Reading Romances for putting the Naughty or Nice Giveaway Hop together! 

Oooo. Naughty or Nice? What to choose?! 

Alright. We love both here at herding cats & burning soup so we're going to let you pick which one you want to be!



Winner will get their choice of book from...

our "Naughty" series... Rescue Me by Kallypso Masters  

   
Book One is *FREE* on Amazon & Nook right now!


or 

go "Nice" with... The Kowalski Family series by Shannon Stacey
  



Just fill out the rafflecopter below and leave a comment!
Open international.

all books this time are in ebook format

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to hop around and enter the other giveaways going on!

18 & Over- What book has you by the knickers?

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that begins on Fridays and runs through the weekend, hosted by Crystal from Reading Between the Wines. This is a Friday blog hop with the objective to find and visit other book blogs that share the same interest as you, namely books geared towards the 18 & over crowd, and make some new friends!

This week...

What book are you currently in the middle of? Not 'just finished', I want to hear about what you're currently deep into and your thoughts on it right now. Loving it, not so much, or mixed feelings, maybe? Get it all out, sometimes how we feel about a book in the middle is totally different then how we feel at the end. It will be interesting to hear about it now and then go back to check out everyone's reviews later!

Oh lordy. I've been in a serious reading funk this week and dragging my feet on reading so I'm not too far into either book right now. One is for fun the other for review.

I'm like 10 pages into Cherry Adair's Hide and Seek. Love her. So far it's pretty good. The hero and heroine apparently have a history where they shacked up for a weekend of nekkid fun years earlier and haven't seen each other since until they run into each other while both undercover dealing with some crime lord. The hero? He's one of those that you just smile and shake your head at because he says the most outrageously inappropriate things. 

Opening line: "Well, well, if it isn't Miss Eastman. I'd recognize those tits anywhere."

I think I'm gonna end up liking this one once I figure it all out. 

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Then there's Binding Arbitration by Elizabeth Marx. Sweet Mary. The first chapter I lost count of how many times I muttered WTF is going on?! There's fairies that keep pinching a ballplayers butt but they're just kids and everything covered in pink and there's glitter. {it's a tv commercial for something} And the guy has an umpire that talks to him in his head. And his nickname is Band-aid. It was a rough start. 

I'm about 100 pages into it now and it's gotten SO much better. I'm going to go back and reread that first chapter and see if maybe I was just so tired it was screwing with me a bit. I'm liking the storyline. The hero/heroine had a kid together when they were in college. He thought she gave it up for adoption but she kept the kid who's sick now and in need of a bone marrow transplant so she hunts down the hero for help. I'm not loving the hero so far. I'm pretty much with the heroine in thinking he's "a conceited, spoiled, spineless bastard." Her words. Not mine :) But I think he might be able to redeem himself before it's all over. He's already having his moments. 

{Update: Alright I'm loving Marx's book now. OMG the woman has me bawling and completely in love with her characters. I'm an absolutely mess right now and wrung out from it. }

Alright. So what about yall? 

Loving what you're reading? Or is it making you all twitchy? 

Perfect Blog Tour w/ Kallypso Masters & Friends + giveaway!

Welcome to Day 5 of the Perfect Blog Tour, with Kallypso Masters and friends! 

Thank you, Herding Cats and Burning Soup for hosting me!

This six-day Perfect Blog Tour celebrates the release of Nobody's Perfect (Rescue Me #4), by Kallypso Masters, which released this week—FINALLY! Perfect continues the long-awaited Happily Ever After for probably the two most wounded characters in the series, Damian Orlando and Savannah Gentry (now Savi Baker). Their heartbreaking story began in Masters at Arms (a free read—see links below) and the couple reunited in Nobody's Hero after eight years apart.

Hell On Wheels (Black Knights, Inc #1) by Julie Ann Walker

Nate “Ghost” Weller has loved Ali Morgan nearly half his life. But he’s done something so heinous he’s convinced she’ll never forgive him if she discovers the truth, so he keeps his feelings and his secrets to himself. Then she blows into town with a mother lode of bad guys on her tail and Nate can’t deny she’s in serious trouble. Unfortunately, he’s the only one who can help her.

Ali knows Nate as the most solemn, aloof man on the planet. Sadly, he’s also the sexiest. For years she’s avoided him, unable to stomach his dark scowls and brooding silences… especially when she secretly yearns for his touch. Now she must rely on him to save her from the malevolent shadows ghosting her every move. When the bullets explode, so does their passion. But can love really conquer all? Or are some things just too terrible to forgive?

Type: Romantic Suspense
Heat: 2 out of 5
Rating: 3 out of 5

I finally decided I had to give Hell on Wheels a try. It kept popping up everywhere and has all those luscious thing I love to read about. Hot, dangerous alphas, motorcycles, secret agencies, action packed suspense and a case of unrequited love (one of my favorites!). Yeah, I'm all over that. And damn that eye catchingly hot cover didn't hurt either. I ended up a little torn on it. Was it a good read? Yeah. Did I find it as mind blowingly awesome as so many others seem to think? Nah. It's got a lot of really good stuff going for it and I loved the concept of the series and for the most part enjoyed the characters but in the end this one was just an average read for me.

Dirty Little Secrets- the reading nook...

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by the ladies over at Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us! Click on the button up top to link up your post or if you don't have a blog join in on the comments! We wanna here from you too!





This weeks question:

"What's your favorite place to read?"

I'm a bed girl too. It's my favorite place to read. Either in my room or the guest room that has a comfy day bed.

These monster's are usually part of the deal too. Either them or part of the kitty herd. If they're being terrors I end up in the guest room since it's off limits to the herd :)

 
So what about yall? 
Where's your favorite place to read? Do you have "helpers" like me?

Early Review: Mate Claimed (Shifters Unbound #4) by Jennifer Ashley

Eric Warden knows that half-Shifter wildcat Iona is passing for human, living without a Collar in the human world. He also knows that if she does not acknowledge her Shifter nature and her mating hunger, it could kill her.

 Iona finds the mysterious and dangerous Eric, a wildcat and leader of his Shiftertown, haunting her dreams, but she vows never to "come out" and take the Collar, fearing backlash against her mother and sister for hiding the fact that she's Shifter. But Eric is a compelling Shifter male, and Iona's hunger calls to him.

Type: Paranormal Romance/Suspense, Shifters (cat, bear, wolf)
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5
Also writes As: Allyson James, Ashley Gardner
Release Date: October 2, 2012

Damn do I LOVE a good kitty shifter. I was pretty thrilled to win a copy of Jennifer Ashley's newest book Mate Claimed especially when I saw it had kitty shifters and let me tell you they were fantastic and just the type I love to read about! The characters were fun and sexy, the suspense/mystery interesting and nicely developed and the romance hot, steamy and oh-so-sweet. It was a really exciting read and one I didn't want to put down once I started.

Tasty Delights-- Ice cubes?

Tasty Delights and Dazzling Disasters is all about playing in the kitchen and having some fun.

I'll share my delights or my disasters. Yall feel free to join in and create your own posts, share your favorite recipes, what have you. 

This last week I took to freezing all kinds of things. 

Crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, herbs, lemon juice. 

Hold on with me a sec. I know these aren't really a recipe but they were fun to make and a great money saver so I decided I'd share them for today's Tasty Tuesday.